Badger
by Gryphon Aerie
Summary: When the Kyuubi attacks Konoha on the night of Naruto's birth, the last remaining member of the Okamoto Clan summons the Badger Boss in defense of the village. The events that unfold that night have unexpected results. Earth-nature Naruto, Badgers.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Naruto franchise, nor any of the other series I will be drawing inspiration from in this fanfiction. This is a work of fiction created purely for enjoyment, and no money shall be gained in its production.

**Author Note:** With that said, there are several fanfictions out there that delve into the possibility of something other than just the Kyuubi being sealed behind the navel of one Uzumaki Naruto. Therefore, the basic idea of an additional tenant is not of my making. On the other hand, I have yet to see anyone use this particular combination, and found myself inspired.

I do apologize if my use of the term 'Youki' is out of place for the Naruto setting.

It is, however, a common term used in several other settings to universally refer to 'Demonic' energies, which is the context that I utilize it with in my writing. I do try to make a distinction that it is still a form of Chakra though.

And so, without further ado...

* * *

**BADGER**

**Chapter 01**

* * *

Fugu had woken up that morning with a feeling that today wasn't going to be his lucky day, and coming from a man who had the misfortune of being the last surviving member of the Okamoto Clan of Konoha, and being cursed with a name that literally meant 'bad luck', he knew all about having a bad day. What he had not expected, however, was for this particular day to be 'Giant Bijuu Rampage' bad.

Quickly donning his porcelain badger mask, the ANBU finished securing all of his gear, giving a last look around his otherwise empty clan compound to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. All of the preservation seals that the previous seal masters of his clan had placed around the walled in properties were in working order, and the massive blood seal that Minato Namikaze had placed around the outer wall of the property would keep anyone without the Okamoto Clan Bloodline from entering without his permission, as he was the only one remaining.

"Ittekimasu," Fugu muttered to his empty home.

With a heavy heart, he spent a moment waiting for someone to respond with 'itterrashai', knowing that he would never hear the voices of his family every again. The Second Shinobi War had particularly harsh on his family, and a poison attack that had struck the clan during a family gathering had killed all of the children present, while leaving those survivors barren.

While a successful method of attack, when it had been discovered that a single attack had ended a bloodline several great Clans had banded together, ignoring the dispute of their nations for this one battle, and fell upon the group of Mizu ninja who had designed the attack. While the bloody vengeance had been a good balm on the wounds of their hearts, the Okamoto clan had been sentenced to a slow death.

One by one the remaining members of his clan had died either in battle or by the still lingering effects of the poison. His own manifestation of the Doton (Earth) Chakra bloodline was the strongest that his family had seen since his grandfather had carved the likeness of Hashirama-sama's face into the mountainside overlooking Konoha with a single Jutsu. When it had come time to put Minato's face up as the Yondaime, they had called upon Fugu himself to do the honors, adding it to the faces of the Shodaime and Sandaime that his grandfather had put there before his own death by old age a few short years before the poisoning.

Shaking his head from his musing, Fugu closed the door of the Head of Family's home behind him, glancing around at the other empty buildings that used to house his entire clan as he made his way to the massive wooden gates at the edge of the property. He knew that this was likely the last time he would see this place, as many had died going against the Kyuubi already, and he only hoped that he'd had a change to leave a legacy of his own behind before he died.

Moments after he left through the open gate to his property, the metal banded slabs of hardwood slid shut behind him as if guided by invisible hands, the deep engravings of Fuuinjutsu seals lighting up with chakra as they sealed the property away. If a home had the ability of conscious thought, it would have been sad upon knowing that it would never home a family again, sealed away from the world in a space-time Jutsu that would allow none to enter.

Looking off towards the sounds of distant battle, Fugu felt the unmistakable taint of Youki filling the air with its dark miasma. Even with the Kyuubi's approach slowed by a constant wave of Konoha ninja, nine the massive tails could be seen flailing in the air over the edge of the nearby hills. Although the Yondaime had a plan to defeat the Bijuu, it was up to the loyal men and women of the Ninja Corps to hold the beast off as best they could. If it managed to reach the village, there was no knowing how many lives would be lost before the day was won.

It was in this, that Fugu might be able to grant Konoha one last gift with the power of his clan.

While no Jutsu cast by a Ninja seemed to have any effect on the Bijuu, as it was made entirely of its own malicious Youki Chakra, the toad summons had managed to gain some ground on the beast under the command of Jiraiya the Toad Sannin. Sadly they did not have the summoning abilities of the other two Sannin to call upon, as Tsunade had left a few years ago on bereavement when the last of her own family had died, and Orochimaru was off doing research in another country. Summoning contracts were rare enough that only a few were known to be possessed by any one village, and the Summon Clans themselves were known to be particularly picky about who they allowed to sign their contracts.

As luck would have it, there was one final contract held by a Konoha ninja, long held by the Okamoto clan. It was only with their extreme Doton natured Chakra that they were able to summon the durable members of the Badger Clan, known allies of the Toads. While not as damaging as the Snakes, as agile as the Toads, or possessing the abilities of the Slugs, the Badgers were known to be one of the most durable of the Summon Clans.

One little known fact about the summoning Jutsu was that the durability of the summons was heavily dependent on how much Chakra one was able to push into the Jutsu. That was why it took the most Chakra to summon the Boss of a Clan, as they were by nature the largest and strongest of their kind. With the Doton nature of his clan's bloodline, the Badgers summoned by his clansmen were well known for how long they could stay in combat before being dispelled back into the Summon Realms. In this case, with them going against the destructive ability of the greatest of the Bijuu, they were going to need to push as much Chakra as possible into this summons.

Making his way towards the battle, Fugu leapt from rooftop to rooftop, the full moon overhead giving more than enough light to navigate by as he neared the edge of the village. Using chakra to stick to the slippery roof tiles, the ANBU sent a burst of Chakra through the Chakra Coils in his legs, supercharging the muscles for a brief instant before each leap, propelling him further and faster than he possibly could have by muscle power alone.

Cursing to himself as he reached the outer wall of Konoha, he leapt to the top of the earthen construction, and wall-walked down the outside of the fortification. Ignoring the shouts from the ninja manning the wall, Fugu reminded himself that the Yondaime had ordered the younger generation to keep themselves out of the battle, declaring this an internal issue. Being one of the younger generation himself, the ANBU was supposed to be there manning the wall as well, but he had decided to ignore this order as he had a greater purpose to fulfill that night.

If he had thought the oppressive aura of Youki had been bad in the village, it was much worse as he got closer to its source, the voices of dying ninja now easily distinguished over the sounds of destruction.

Switching from leaping rooftops to leaping tree branches was second nature to the ANBU as he now made his way through the forest on his final approach. His earlier feeling of dread and anticipation seemed to drain from him as a sudden calm filled his being, his mind focusing with brilliant clarity on his last few moments of life. These trees had stood there for generations, ever since the First Hokage had used his Mokuton Jutsu to grow the forest there in a single instant, thus giving the namesake for the Village Hidden Among the Leaves.

Reaching the edge of the destruction, he had to leap from the cover of the trees, landing on the torn up dirt left behind by the massive area attacks of the Kyuubi began, the splintered wooden remains of the forest that had stood there digging into the soles of his sandals. For a brief moment, one of the giant scarlet eyes of the Kyuubi pinned him, freezing him in place as the gigantic fox demon noted his presence. Luckily, its attention was drawn away a moment later as a massive Earth Dragon attack hit it in the side, drawing the beast's attention to the foolish human who had dared attack it.

Taking a quaking breath, Fugu pulled out a handful of Chakra Pills and shoved them in his mouth, quickly taking out a kunai and pricked his thumb just hard enough to draw a bead of blood. As he went through a modified set of hand seals for the summoning technique, lines of ink began to glow all over his body with a pale blue light, a complex Fuuinjutsu activating as he began channeling.

One of the reasons he had taken so long getting to the fight had been the preparation he had taken in drawing this seal on his body, aided by a couple of Earth Clones to draw on the areas he could not reach himself. The design was a secret long held by his clan, created to draw every last drop of Chakra available from the caster for one last Jutsu keyed to the seal. It had been created as a kind of dead-man's switch, that would allow the user to ensure that they would not be held in enemy hands in order to keep clan and village secrets safe, a holdback from the harsher times of the War.

Never before had this seal been used when keyed to a summoning Jutsu, but Fugu had hopes that the extremely strong Doton bloodline he carried, combined with the Chakra Pills he swallowed just as he finished casting it, would give his summons enough durability and power to hold off the Bijuu long enough for the Yondaime to arrive. Taking more than one Chakra Pill at once was known to be fatal, the excess Chakra quickly burning a ninja from the inside out as their Chakra Coils stretched and burst, overflowing with energy it was unable to contain. But Fugu knew he was already going to die, so spending his last few moments of life in indescribably pain as his body ruptured on the inside and burnt like a cinder meant little to him, a smile on his face in spite of the pain as his last sight was a massive cloud of smoke let out when his summoning technique succeeded.

* * *

Hachimitsu was the Boss of the Badger Clan, a massive honey badger whose wide shoulders stood even with the top of the Toad Boss Gamabunta's head. Coming from a summon race where it was normally the male boars traditionally stood at the top of the chain, with the sows following in their stead, she was the first female Badger Boss for a good reason. There wasn't a single Badger in her clan, short of the Badger Sage who had been the Boss before her, who could take her in combat. She could out fight, out eat, and out drink any challenger that came her way.

One of the only things that marred her record as being the best Badger Boss in recent history was the fact that there was only one remaining summoner, the unique requirements of their own summoning requiring a rare density of Doton Chakra hardly ever found amongst their allies in Konoha. Shortly before she had become the Boss, while the previous boss Yuudai had held the honor, most of the names on their contract had faded to gray, the signers having died. When Yuudai had replaced the Badger Sage upon the previous Sage's death, there had been only three signers on the contract.

When she was summoned to battle that night, there was only one signer left, and she appeared in the Ninja Realm just in time to see that good ninja die by the same Jutsu that had summoned her there.

Precious moments past as her dark brown eyes gazed upon the now lifeless body of Fugu Okamoto, a man whose every last drop of super-charged Doton Chakra now filled her summoned body in a way that it had never been before. Confusion and sorrow filled her as she realized that not only had Konoha lost the last of a once great clan, but her own clan has lost its final connection to the world of Ninja, and she wondered what could have possibly driven the foolish ninja to do such a thing.

It was in that moment that she realized that she was not alone, and her dark eyes turned to gaze at the shocked face of the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

Deep within her chest, a low growl began to fill the night as Hachimitsu saw the source of her loss, making the forest seem to tremble as the earth beneath her clawed feet shook with the force of her fury. Moonlight shone off the silver fur of her back, making the black fur on her sides and bottom seem to disappear into the night, her ivory fangs standing out clearly against the darkness.

In a flurry of movement, the battle started between a furious honey badger and a startled and somewhat anxious fox demon. While the ego of the Kyuubi did not allow it to accept that any creature, be it man or beast, could possibly be its equal, instinct was telling it that going up against an angry badger was not a good idea. The fact that this badger was half its size didn't matter much in this case, as it was literally glowing with earth-natured Chakra, which was going to make it a pain and a half to do any damage to the beast, even with the Kyuubi's own powerful claws and teeth.

Later on the Kyuubi would look back at this moment as one of the more embarrassing times in its long life, right next to those times it had been mind-controlled by the Sharingan. That, and the rabbit incident, but nobody ever dared talk about that one.

* * *

Appearing via Hiraishin in a flash of yellow light, Minato Namikaze stumbled half a step as his senses caught up with his new surroundings. After the fight against the man claiming to be Madara Uchiha, he had hoped that disrupting the man's control of the Kyuubi would have stopped the beast's attack. Sadly, he had underestimated the rage the Bijuu felt after being imprisoned for so long within the women of the Uzumaki line.

Preparing himself for the fight of his life, Minato paused halfway through the hand seals to summon Gamabunta when fully he realized what he was looking at. The trail of destruction left in the Kyuubi's wake had led it to just within view of the massive fortified earthen walls of Konoha, the Sandaime standing at the top of the defenses with the older generation ninjas at his side, ready for the final defense. Further behind them, on the rooftops of some of the closer buildings within town, the Hokage could see several civilian families looking on in terror as well, backlit by the fires created when a Bijuudama attack from the Kyuubi had hit the village earlier.

Looking over to there the Kyuubi's glowing red form stood out against the moonlit hills, his eyes bulged momentarily in disbelief as he noticed the situation the tailed beast had managed to get itself into.

Knowing the ninja of his village as any good Hokage should, Minato immediately realized that the massive honey badger currently locked in mortal combat with the Kyuubi was the summoned animal of the Okamoto clan, of which at this point there was sadly only one member... scratch that, of which there were now no members, he realized upon seeing the lifeless form of Fugu Okamoto lying on the ground next to where he was standing, obvious signs of chakra burns and burnt sealing ink seen on the dead man's visible skin.

Apparently the man had managed to still summon the Badger Boss before the Okamoto Chakra Sacrifice Seal had taken his life, which was impressive in its own right if only for the simple fact that it was normal for a summon to dismiss shortly after its summoner died. Luckily for the people of Konoha the dense Doton Chakra that had been channeled into Hachimitsu was perfect for defense, much in the way that a Doton Bushin was capable of taking much more damage before dispelling. Never before had Minato ever seen a summoned animal literally glow with the excess chakra of their summoning.

Several wounds could be seen even with the thick fur that covered her loose hide as Hachimitsu tangled with the Kyuubi. One lucky strike had hit her over her left eye, causing it to swell shut, and several holes seen through the silver fur on her back glowed red with Youki, in sharp contrast to the glow of the Doton Chakra that had powered her summoning.

By this point, the fight between Fox and Badger had reached a kind of stalemate, with the shorter form of Hachimitsu underneath the body of the Kyuubi. Powerful jaws were locked in place, her ivory teeth latched on to the base of one of the Bijuu's nine tails as it tried to get an angle to attack her with that did not cause it more pain from her bite.

Seeming to realize that there was nothing else to do, the Kyuubi lifted its head to the sky, the massive energy of the Bijuudama forming in its open maw. While it might damage itself in the attack, it would definitely kill the irritating animal chewing on its tail, and allow it to go back to destroying the village.

Upon seeing the black ball of energy beginning to form, Minato cursed himself for getting distracted. Knowing that he would not have enough time to both summon Gamabunta and teleport the Kyuubi and its Bijuudama away from the village, he hoped that the badger would do a good enough job to distract it in the few moments it would take him to channel the energy needed for a Hiraishin of this magnitude.

Realizing that the Kyuubi was as restrained as it could be at the moment, and quite well distracted thanks to the honey badger, Minato decided that he would not need to summon Gamabunta for this fight. Using a quick Shunshin to appear on the back of the Kyuubi, and holding on by channeling Chakra through the soles of his feet for grip, he used the Hiraishin in a method he had never foreseen to teleport himself and both of his massive passengers to his hideout deep within the forested hills outside Konoha.

He had a village to save, and a demon to seal away... no matter the cost.

* * *

Sarutobi stood on the top of the village wall, Enma strapped to his back in staff form, and trembled as he saw the Kyuubi's mouth open up towards the sky, and the massive black ball of yet another Bijuudama begin to form within its maw. They had been lucky so far that Hachimitsu had managed to so thoroughly distract the beast, with only one Bijuudama having struck the village before it was summoned. That is, as lucky as one could be when they had still lost so many lives against the beast.

"Where is Minato?" Sarutobi asked himself, wondering what was taking the Yondaime so long.

Noticing a figure leaping on to the back of the Kyuubi, he immediately recognized the white coat and yellow blond hair of the Yondaime, and felt a moment of relief upon seeing the man finally able to join this battle. Gasps of relief from the ninja around him soon turned to shock as both Fox and Badger suddenly disappeared from sight.

"Minato, did he teleport himself and the nine-tails-" Sarutobi's question was interrupted by a distant flash of light far off in the hills, which was soon followed by a familiar earth shattering boom as the shockwave of the exploding Bijuudama reached them. "Out there!"

Giving a quick command do the forces around him to help the survivors in the village, Sarutobi quickly made his way off the wall and into the forest, burning Chakra through his body to speed his way to where the explosion had just taken place. Trees past by him in a blur, his attention focused on the evil Youki of the Bijuu that he was approaching, preparing himself to assist the man he had chosen to inherit the Hokage Hat.

As he got closer to his destination he saw a strange barrier on top of the hill, quickly realizing that it was being formed by the distinctive Chakra Chains of the Uzumaki Bloodline. The same Chains that had allowed both Mito and Kushina to contain the Bijuu within themselves, which meant that perhaps... No, Kushina did not look in any shape to be able to hold the Kyuubi within herself, as it seemed it was taking the last of her energy to merely hold it in place, her long Chains spearing into the ground behind her, wrapping around the struggling form of the Kyuubi, seeming to ignore the honey badger still clamped on its tail.

Movement catching his eye, Sarutobi noticed Minato kneeling in front of Kushina, the small bundle of cloth lying on the ground between the couple. With trained practice the Sandaime could easily see the hand seals his successor was using, Snake, Boar, Ram, Rabbit, Dog, Rat, Bird, Horse, Snake, followed by Minato slapping his hands together.

"Shiki Fuuin!" Sarutobi gasped. "He moves to seal the Kyuubi with his own death!"

Wishing that he could hear what the two were saying to each other, he could only watch from beyond the Chakra Barrier, helpless to act. He could tell that there was some argument between the blond haired Hokage and his crimson haired wife, but any argument when the Shinigami had already been invoked would be a losing argument for both sides. Once called upon, the Shinigami always took its due.

Noting the arrival of two other Konoha ninja with a terse nod, he kept his attention locked on what happening in front of him. Even the slightest detail might become monumentally important later on, and if the barrier happened to fall, it would be up to him again to defend the village with his life.

"What's happening, Sandaime?" asked one of the new arrivals.

"We're too late, they've already put up a barrier around the Kyuubi," Sarutobi replied, punching the solid wall of Chakra. "Whatever they're doing, they're doing it alone!"

Suddenly the Kyuubi reared its head back in a pained roar, a giant wave of Youki spilling from its form and into the chest of the Yondaime. Seeing final confirmation that he had indeed interpreted the hand seals he had seen correctly, Sarutobi was forced to watch on, powerless to assist.

"It is the Shiki Fuuin," he said to himself. "I can't believe he actually used it!"

"But the fox remains, he didn't seal all of it!" the other Ninja replied. "But it did shrink!"

Unfortunately, it was at the exact moment that it shrunk that Kushina seemed to faint for a moment, the chains binding its form loosening enough for it to attack. Launching its clawed right paw at the insignificant form of the newborn human child they were preparing to seal it into, the Kyuubi tried to end any chance of being reimprisoned. At the same time Hachimitsu resumed her own attack, tearing into the now smaller body of the Kyuubi, doing great damage to it even as the Bijuu managed to pierce the bodied of the two parents as they leapt in the way of its attack.

Thick chakra chains tightened again around the Kyuubi's body, leaving it defenseless even as the Badger Boss continued to tear into it, causing wound all over its body.

On the other side of the barrier Sarutobi at first wondered why the two had gotten in front of the deadly attack instead of dodging, before realizing that the small bundle of cloth was Minato and Kushina's newborn son. Sorrow filled him as he realized that he was watching the last living moments of two friends, and the only moment that their child would spend in their living presence.

Upon seeing Minato summon Gamatachi the Scroll Toad, the Sandiame noticed Minato giving the key to a complex seal to the summon before dismissing it. Upon looking the scene over, he realized exactly what the Yondaime was planning.

"I see," Sarutobi muttered. "He intends to save the village by making his son the new Jinchuuriki!"

With the forms of the Fox and Badger locked together in combat as they were, and Minato focusing on sealing the last of Kushina and his own chakra away in the Eight Trigrams Seal, the grip of the Shinigami was less than discerning, taking hold of both of the massive animals sharing the clearing with them. Realizing a moment too late what was going on, never having even heard of the Shiki Fuuin, it was too late for Hachimitsu to try to escape, and thus she was dragged into the seal with the Kyuubi, the sealing process ending with an almost blinding flash of light.

Moments later the barrier dropped, Kushina no longer alive to keep it active, finally allowing Sarutobi to enter the clearing. Leaping over to the still bodies of Minato and Kushina, he kneeled down and closed their eyes with a gentle hand, sorrow etched into his wrinkled face. Upon hearing the sudden cry of a child, Sarutobi looked over at where the newborn infant lay, the blanket that had bundled it fallen open to reveal the complex seal on his stomach.

"It's fresh," Sarutobi commented, recognizing the seal. "So, Naruto is the new host of the Kyuubi."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Naruto franchise, nor any of the other series I will be drawing inspiration from in this fanfiction. This is a work of fiction created purely for enjoyment, and no money shall be gained in its production.

**Author Note:** These next few chapters will deal mostly with the after-effects of Hachimitsu's presence on the night of the Kyuubi's attack.

Also, thank you to those who have reviewed this story, it means a lot to a writer to see people's response to their stories, even if it's just a quick word or two.

**Sett:** (noun) The lair or burrow of a badger.

* * *

**BADGER**

**Chapter 02**

* * *

Little over a month had passed since the night the Kyuubi's rampage had lost them the Yondaime, and yet Sarutobi could still see signs of work being done in the village to rebuild where that single Bijuudama had left a smoking crater where once had stood a residential area. Bodies were still being found as the wreckage was being cleared, and the final death count amongst the civilian population was as of yet unknown, making it hard to believe that they had been rather fortunate with what little damage they had suffered during the attack.

Eyes wandering from the piles of paperwork sitting on his desk, Sarutobi gazed over at the crib that sat in the corner of his office, grateful that for once the infant was asleep. He had almost forgotten how much of a handful his son Asuma was at that age, and could not imagine how he would have been able to handle it without having his ANBU on call.

Soon enough the child would have to be placed in an orphanage, as the continued presence of a child with the Hokage would draw attention that they could ill afford. With the number of children left parentless after the attack people would come to question why this particular child had been chosen to stay with the recently re-instated Sandaime. Iwa in particular would quickly come to the conclusion that the blond haired infant was the son of their hated enemy, the Yellow Flash of Konoha.

While Jiraiya had been named at the boy's godfather, the need for Konoha to maintain its information network was so dire in the face of the threats that the weakened village would be facing over the next few years that there was no possible way that they could keep the Toad Sannin around long enough to care for the child. Besides, if they did have the man watch over Naruto then their enemies would once again come to the right conclusions, with disastrous results.

Giving the child his mother's surname would at least give the boy some small amount of obscurity, as at least the Uzumaki Clan had been rather sizable before Uzushio had been destroyed during the Second Shinobi War, their members now scattered around the world. Only a small handful of people had been aware of how close Kushina and Minato had become, and fewer still had known that she was pregnant with the man's child due to the clever use of Genjutsu.

Tsunade would have been a good caretaker for the infant Jinchuuriki if not for the fact that she had not visited Konoha in years, and wandered enough that even Jiraiya had no idea where she could be at any given time. With everyone that she had lost over the years it was understandable that she would not want to return to a village that was no longer her home, and only reminded her of her loss.

Stopping his hand even as it reached for the comfort of his tobacco pipe, mindful of the presence of an infant in his office, Sarutobi winced as he thought about what the next few years likely had in store for the young boy.

Upon the loudly voiced concerns of the people of Konoha who were not present to know what exactly had happened to the Kyuubi, he had been forced to tell them some of the truth of that had happened that night. It had been his hope that people would recognize the sacrifice that the Yondaime had made, and see the new jailer of the Kyuubi as their living hero, protecting them against the return of the Bijuu with every breath that he took.

Sadly, the uneducated masses had a tendency to come to the wrong conclusions, and the rumor had spread that the infant was none other than the Kyuubi reborn in a weak human shell. Cries for the death of the 'demon child' had been harshly silenced, and the Sandaime had written a law that nobody was to speak of anything linking the young Uzumaki to the Kyuubi in any way. Hopefully this act would give the child a chance to find support in his own generation, even if the older generations held this irrational hate within their hearts.

One of the few good things to come of that disastrous night was that enough people had seen the Badger Boss holding off the demon for long enough for the Yondaime to arrive and take it away into the hills. People were already starting to view the Badger as a strong protective symbol, almost like a guardian animal for the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Pendants made from bone or wood etched with Badgers had begun to spring up, many made with inexpert hands as suspicious villagers carved them as tokens of luck to ward off the evil energy of Youki that still lingered in some places.

It was unfortunate that the last signer of the Badger Contract had given his life that night to summon the Badger Boss, since their presence would have given great peace of mind to Ninja and Civilian alike. Even though he had been there in person, the blinding flash as the seal completed had prevented him from knowing the final fate of Hachimitsu, leaving it only known that she had been there until the end, and completely absent once the light had faded.

He had just finished signing a form officially retiring the Badger ANBU mask in honor of the final sacrifice of Fugu Okamoto, as well as authorizing his name to be engraved upon the Hero's Monument in everlasting recognition of what he had done for Konoha. Even though the final fate of Hachimitsu was unknown, Sarutobi had requested for her name to be engraved directly beneath Fugu's, so that Summoner and Summon would be together even in death.

Placing that request on top of the pile of approved forms, the ink still drying on his official stamp of office, he moved on to the next request in the seemingly never ending pile. Moments later a cold anger filled his dark eyes as he read a request from Danzo Shimura to take Naruto in for immediate training as a weapon. Using a quick Katon Jutsu to burn that request into fine ash, followed by a weak Futon to blow the remains into his waste basket, he realized that he was going to have to keep an eye on the old war hawk.

Glancing over at where Naruto lay in his crib, Sarutobi reassured himself that the infant hadn't been disturbed by the Jutsu he had just used nearby. Luck was with him, as the child slept on, a peaceful look on his whisker marked face.

He had been content with his retirement, finally finding a worthy successor for the Hokage hat in the young Namikaze, secure in the fact that he was leaving the Will of Fire in capable hands. It was in these dark moments at night after the sun had set that he sometimes wished that he had been the one to cast the Shiki Fuuin, sacrificing his own life and leaving the fate of Konoha in Minato's hands. Yet here he was, back in the big seat again, and the only decent Ninja who could possibly take over narrowed down do a perverted Toad Sage who was more needed for his information network than his reliability or administration skills, or the missing Slug Princess who seemed to have turned into a drunken and rather unlucky gambler.

And the paperwork never ended.

* * *

Along the southern foot of Mount Myoboku lay a rich land of rolling hills and gentle rivers, shaded by the broad spread of ancient trees whose roots dug deep into the dark soil. Countless generations ago a traveler had come to this land in search of shelter, gaining permission from the Elders of the Toad Clan to settle down and dig the first of many tunnels that would eventually spread out deep beneath the ground there, creating a massive network of tunnels and dens that now stood as the ancestral home of the Badger Clan.

Yuudai was a direct matrilineal descendant of the First Digger, the Badgers tracing lineage in this manner because often the excitement of the mating season made it impossible to know the father of one kit over another, while the mother was always guaranteed. With such a long bloodline all born and raised within the Great Sett it was no shock that he had been chosen to be the Boss all those years ago. For as long as anyone could remember the role had fallen to one of his Line, and many had assumed that it would always be that way.

Upon the death of the previous Badger Sage, Yuudai fulfilled the ancient duty of leaving his duties as Boss behind, and accepting the mantle of Sage himself. Amongst the Badgers it was tradition of the Sages to pass their knowledge on to the new Boss, thus ensuring that the wisdom of their ancestors would be well kept.

Everyone had assumed that he would call on another one of his bloodline to inherit the Boss title, the favorite being his nephew Shigeo. After all, the young Boar had shown great skill in battle when he had led a small Cete of followers in a campaign to clear their western borders of enemy Snakes who had begun to encroaching on their lands. However, while others looked to Shigeo and saw his strong body and fearless attitude, Yuudai instead saw a young Boar who was short in temper and lacking in respect for the world around him, unable to see past the end of his own nose, or think past the end of his next battle.

When Yuudai had instead named Hachimitsu as the new Boss many had been shocked, not only because he had given the title to one of the Honey Badger family, but also because he had named a Sow as the new leader of their Clan. Never before had a female Boss been chosen, least of all for the fact that they were usually a third smaller than their male brethren, and the Boss was often called upon most in defense of their Allies.

Upon recovering from this shock, Shigeo had taken it upon himself to issue challenge for the title, as was the right of any Badger that thought that their Boss was not fit for the title. Having never before seen her in person, he relied upon the fact that he was one of the largest and strongest of the European Badger family, second only to the unequalled mass of his Uncle Yuudai.

In combat between Badgers it often ended up being a challenge of pure endurance and mass, as the two combatants fought for the dominant stance in an effort to wear out their opponent until they no longer had the energy to fight back. Challenges took place within a dirt arena, where the dry soil often got kicked up in massive clouds of dust that clung to the noses and fur of the fighters, sweltering them and making it hard to breathe.

When Shigeo had entered the arena opposite of Hachimitsu, the confidence in his swagger had faltered when he saw his opponent for the first time. Unlike his own black and white stripped face, she had a face of pure black, topped by a silvery pelt that ran the entire length of her back, seeming to float in the half darkness of the dimly lit arena.

Abnormally massive for a Honey Badger, and indisputably the largest Sow that had ever been recorded, her impressive size had come as quite the shock to the normally self confident Boar. This difference in size was only underlined when she stood up on her hind legs to observe him from across the dirt bowl that lay between them, a tower of muscle and bone wrapped in fur.

Knowing that there was no way that he could back out of the challenge without losing face, the young Boar had no choice but to continue out into the middle of the arena, putting as much of a confident swagger into his walk as possible.

After the dust cloud had finally settled, any arguments over her abilities as the Badger Boss had died a quick and quiet death, and she had led them well up until her disappearance on the Night of the Kyuubi. Now that a full lunar cycle had passed, there were once again rumblings on who would lead their Clan in her stead, as they could not afford the weakness of remaining leaderless.

It was for this reason that Yuudai found himself once again in the Room of Records, deep within the very heart of the Sett. This massive chamber had stood for generations as a repository for all the written records of the entire Clan, a wooden honeycomb covering the walls stuffed with rolls of parchment and vellum. Nose filled with the warring scents of lanolin coming from the scrolls and melting bee's wax from the numerous candles lighting the room, the Sage exclaimed in relief when he finally found the document he had been searching for.

Laying the heavy roll of parchment upon a low-slung table next to a massive stoneware mug, he rolled it open and began to read, light glinting off the silver frames of his reading glasses.

While still unsure as to what had happened after Hachimitsu had been summoned, it was by now common knowledge around the Sett that the final summoner on their contract had died, leaving them without a summoner. What more, Yuudai had spoken to the Toad Sage and discovered that Gamatachi the Scroll Toad had seen her locked in battle with the Kyuubi when the sealing had been completed. Unfortunately the Toad had been dismissed back to Mount Myoboku just as the seal had completed, and had been unable witness the aftermath, thus leaving the true fate of the Badger Boss unknown.

Fortunately, this scroll contained a record of a previous time in history when they had been without a signer on the summoning contract, forcing the Badger Boss of that time to go upon a long journey in disguise to find one worthy of their Clan's alliance. It had been Yuudai's own grandfather that had gone upon that journey, finally running across a young man named Yuri Okamoto who had just settled down to help build a village by the name of Konoha. Upon seeing the young man's honest and hardworking nature, and his ability to make the very Earth itself move to his will, the young Okamoto clansman had become the first of his line to sign their names upon the Badger contract. A tradition that had, sadly, ended with the life of Fugu Okamoto when he had used a forbidden clan technique to sacrifice himself to summon Hachimitsu in defense of his homeland.

Shaking himself from that morose thought, Yuudai noted that this did set a clear precedent as to how this exact situation could be handled. Any further reading, however, was interrupted when another figure stomped into the wood paneled room, the sound of their heavy steps echoing within the chamber.

"Enough of this foolishness, Uncle," growled the deep voice of his nephew Shigeo. "We have now been without a proper Boss for an entire Moon now, and rumor has it the Snakes are already planning to take advantage of our weakness. It is time we elected a new Boss."

Looking at his impetuous nephew over the silver rims of his glasses, Yuudai studied the boy's aggressive stance, wondering again where his little sister had gone so wrong in raising the kit where he thought he could speak to the Badger Sage in such a manner. Clearly the young Boar had not inherited his brains from his mother's side.

"I see," Yuudai nodded, reaching up a careful hand to remove his glasses, careful not to scratch the lenses with his sharp claws. "I assume then that you have a suggestion as to who would be best to lead us in these trying times?"

"Of course," the youth said, seeming to swell with pride within his fur. "It should be obvious that we should chose the strongest warrior amongst the Clan to lead us, as our ability to defend our lands is only as strong as the shoulders that bear this responsibility."

"Wise words," Yuudai agreed. "But is it not also true that a sharp mind and keen intellect also necessary, in order to lead our Clan outside of battle?"

"Absolutely," Shigeo agreed. "This I learned well from you, Uncle, and you will note that I have been very studious as of late in my studies, learning from those that came before us."

"If 'as of late' you mean since Hachimitsu was summoned from our midst," Yuudai said, turning to face the younger Badger. "Do not assume that I am unaware of the fact that you have long coveted the honor of her title, or the whispers shared within the low tunnels of the Sett with those who would share in your privileges."

"I don't know what you're talking about," his nephew countered, covering his guilt with anger.

"You need not worry about the fate of our Clan, nephew," he told him, changing the course of the conversation midstream. "I agree that it is indeed one of our Family that shall lead the Badger Clan during these troubling times. Indeed it shall be the strongest of our warriors who shall bear this burden, possessing a sharp mind and keen intellect as needed..."

If possible, the young Boar seemed to become even fuller of himself as he assumed that his Uncle had finally come to his senses about this whole unsettling matter.

"Therefore I shall stand as Steward of the Badgers until she returns."

"WHAT?!" Shigeo snapped, stumbling back a half step.

"The precedent is quite clear in our records, young Kit," Yuudai stated. "When the last signature on the Contract faded, leaving us without a Summoner, it is the duty of the Badger Boss to leave the safety of these lands in search of someone worthy of our Alliance. While this sacred duty is being fulfilled they remain our Boss, and thus honor would require nothing less than for us to continue on in their absence. In this case, a Steward shall carry out the duties normally fulfilled by the Boss within our Sett, keeping the Clans ready for the Boss' return."

"You cannot be serious," his nephew snapped at him. "She was fighting against the Kyuubi, the strongest of the Bijuu, and never returned! If she had been alive, she would have been de-summoned back to our Sett once the battle was done, and since she is still gone we have to assume she is dead!"

"She is most certainly not dead," the elder Badger stated. "Her mug remains unbroken, meaning that she remains unbroken."

Each Badger went through the same ceremony upon reaching adulthood where they were taken to a sacred underground stream that lay deep beneath their Sett, where special clay that lined the shoreline was taken and crafted into the shape of a mug. Seals were carved into the clay while it was still soft, and the chakra of the Badger was channeled into this seal array, instantly turning it into stoneware. These mugs would remain clean and unbroken for as long as the life energies of the Badge continued to flow, an echo of their spirit body and mind energies channeled through this intricate web of space time seals reinforcing its shape.

When a Badger died, their mug would turn back into clay, although dry from years of being impervious. This clay would in turn be taken back to the edge of that sacred underground spring, returned to whence it came.

For Hachimitsu's mug to remain unbroken was a clear sign that she was in fact alive, though beyond their reach for the time being. Yuudai had a suspicion as to how this might have occurred, though for now he was left with nothing but theory until they got their claws on more concrete information.

"Unacceptable!" Shigeo snapped, irate at this 'excuse'. "We can't just sit around on our hindquarters waiting for a some stupid dead Sow to return!"

Pain filled Shigeo's head as a massive clawed paw slammed into his snout, knocking him flying across the room into the sturdy wood honeycomb of the far wall. Shaking his head in a daze, the hotheaded Boar got back on his feet and turned to face his attacker, a deep growl building up within his chest. In the back of his mind he could not imagine how his foolish uncle thought he could take on a battle tested warrior at the peak of health, forgetting for that brief moment exactly how it was that Yuudai had become the Badger Sage.

It was in that next brief moment that he remembered why Yuudai's name what still whispered to young Snake hatchlings as a warning not to go wondering alone at night. Although his snout had turned silver and he needed glasses to read by, the Badger Sage was the product of his age, the time of the Great Shinobi Wars when Ninja and Summon pitted against each other in an all out battle for survival.

Seeming to shake off his age like a dusting of snow off a thick winter coat, the elder Badger stood rock steady on the far side of the room, eyes glowing from within with an unholy light. It was not Yuudai the Scholar that stood before him now, nor was it Yuudai the Patient. In his place once more stood Yuudai the Conqueror, who had driven the Snakes into retreat upon killing the father of Manda, and continued to slaughter those too slow to escape his wrath even as they fled for their lives.

"I will not have one of my own Blood speak ill of Hachimitsu while I still hold breath," Yuudai spoke, his previously soft voice now causing the flames of the candles to shake with its strength. "It is only the love I hold for my sister that I do not strike her son down for what you just said in my presence. If your mother ever heard you speak ill of her good friend in such a matter she might just spare me the effort and take you out of the world she brought you in to."

Trying his best to ignore the trembling of his limbs, the young Boar stood wide-eyed as he realized how thoroughly he had messed things up. It had all seemed to clear in his head when he had imagined how this conversation was going to go, how he could show up and impress upon his Uncle how they needed to make him the new Boss, and of course without that blasted Honey Badger in the way anymore there would be nobody strong enough to challenge him.

In his youthful exuberance, he had forgotten that while he was one of the strongest of his generation, he was not the strongest in his Clan.

"Now, you can either accept this, or..." Yuudai trailed off.

"O-or?"

"You can challenge me," Yuudai said, baring teeth that seemed a bit too long and sharp for a Badger of his advanced age. "Though if you do, I will do my best to console the sad widows left behind in your sudden absence."

A moment of tense silence stretched between the two.

"I am sure that you will be a strong and wise Steward until she returns," Shigeo gulped.

"I thought you would see it that way," Yuudai nodded. "Now go, my Nephew, and advise the Elders that they are needed for an immediate meeting. It is time for me to discuss with them what has occurred, and the path that lies ahead."

Nodding to his uncle, and sparing a glance for the no longer innocuous stoneware mug laying on the low table, the younger Badger made his way along the edge of the room, the fur on his far side brushing against the ends of scrolls jutting from the wooden honeycomb as he kept as much distance between his Uncle and himself as he made his way to the door. Deep thoughts ran through his head as he all but fled the room, the warrior realizing for the first time in his life that his Uncle had made the right decision in choosing someone other than himself to become the Boss.

Time would tell if this message stuck.

* * *

Deep within the Eight Trigrams Seal a furry body began to stir, weakened as it was even after a month had passed since the Shiki Fuuin had sent it into the seal. Undeveloped as Naruto's infant mind still was, the only solidly visible things in the mindscape were the large bars that contained his prisoners, the large paper on the outside representing the seal that bound them there. Beyond their cage lay darkness, and the merest hint of unformed tunnels leading off to the Uzumaki's developing Chakra Coils.

Hachimitsu awoke slowly in this strange Sett, shaking her head in an attempt to rid herself of the cobwebs that seemed to be filling it before rolling drunkenly onto her paws. Blinking her one good eye, the left still swollen shut from the claw marks running down that side of her face, the massive honey badger inspected her surroundings, her gaze immediately drawn to the bars standing nearby.

Sore and still heavily wounded from her battle with the Kyuubi, she took a moment to twist her head around and lick at the worst of her wounds before giving any closer of an inspection. Drained of most of her chakra during the sealing, she sent what little she still had to work with through her tongue, using her saliva as a medium for medical chakra. It would take a long time for these wounds to fully heal, infused as they were with the poisonous Youki left behind by the Kyuubi's attacks, but unless she tended to them soon it was possible that she could still die from the damage inflicted upon her.

Startled by a sudden sound from behind her, Hachimitsu spun her body around to face the unexpected threat, wide shoulders hunkering down and bringing her head close to the ground. Seeing a mass of red-orange fur in the far corner of the enclosure caused her to bare her fangs, a familiar rumbling roar beginning to form deep within her chest before she realized the state of her apparent enemy. Blinking her one good eye in surprise and falling back to sit on her haunches, she realized that her apparent enemy was in no shake to even notice her.

While she had managed to end up being sealed more or less intact, ignoring the wounds still glowing with pockets of crimson red Youki, the act of tearing the Yin Chakra from the Kyuubi had done immense damage to the otherwise seemingly invulnerable Kitsune. Although it had not been as noticeable in the mortal realm, the only apparent change then being its loss of size, within the mindscape the damage was easily visible.

If a being made of pure energy could be considered nearly indestructible, it had to be said that ripping that energy in half would have about the same effect on it that being beaten half to death would on any mortal creature. Huge rending tears and gaping holes could be seen in the Kyuubi's once pristine hide, entire chunks of the red-orange fur missing, and the Bijuu's breathing was visibly weak and labored.

Although the Bijuu were often understood to be made of pure Chakra, the true definition was that they were Chakra Constructs, a framework of energy that generated and channeled the seemingly endless supply of Youki much like any Ninja generated Chakra within their own coils. It was for this reason that the Bijuu were considered indestructible, as even if their energy was dispersed, the pattern would naturally reconstruct itself, and the Bijuu take form once again as it began generating Youki to give it form.

Thus, even though the entire Yang half of the Kyuubi was sealed within the infant Uzumaki, the actual chakra being generated by the tailed beast was almost nonexistent at this point. Without any chakra to spare, even the great Kyuubi no Kitsune could not heal itself of its current wounds, let alone spare energy in an attack against the Badger it was now sharing a prison with.

After taking a moment to calm herself down, Hachimitsu turned her mind to contemplate what was going on, quickly coming to the realization that she had somehow fallen victim to the technique that had been used to seal the Kyuubi away. Although she considered herself a mere novice in the arts of Fuuinjutsu, those studies requiring more patience and scholarly dedication than she could muster as a kit, she was conversant enough in the Arts of Sealing to have at least a broad concept of what had happened.

Gamabunta had loved to brag about the sealing abilities of his subordinates whenever she had come by to visit the Toad Summons at Mount Myoboku to trade snake skins for pipe weed. Their mutual dislike for the Snake Clan of summons and equal enjoyment of smoking their pipes had given the two Bosses some small common ground to form a passable friendship several years ago.

Normally a summoned creature was nothing more than an energy construct themselves, given form in that reality by the Chakra sacrificed by their summoner, and called by the blood that matched the signature on their contract. Like the Bijuu they would disappear when damaged enough, though in their case to return back to the Summon Realm to heal the sympathetic wounds that passed back with them upon their return.

In this case though, the limitless reach of the Shinigami had managed to pull her, body and all, into the Eight Trigrams Seal. Without having her body anchored as it had been to the Summon Realm, she could not simply dismiss herself and return to her Sett. This was her new home, her new prison, potentially for the rest of the new Jinchuuriki's life.

Shaking her wide head, Hachimitsu gazed over at the battered form of the Kyuubi, wondering where this was going to lead them to. Eventually exhaustion won out, the energy required to heal her wounds taking its toll on her as the lid of her right eye became heavier, finally closing in sleep. Thus it was that she did not see the strange reaction of the seal as it continued to slowly filter the energy it contained out into the slowly developing Chakra Coils of infant Naruto.

While the Eight Trigrams Seal was one of the more complex Seals ever made, Fuuinjutsu was still more of an art than a science. When met with the Yang Chakra of two inhabitants instead of one, the seal still tried to react as it had been designed to for a single source of Chakra held within it, inextricably binding the two life forces together as it continued its slow trickling feed into the newest Jinchuuriki.

Within the healing wounds of the Badger Boss, the remaining Youki infused within them began to slowly bleed through her Chakra Coils and out into the seal matrix. Although starting out slow, the effects of this bleed through would be felt in the Elemental Nations in the years to come, and cause a reaction that perhaps not even the Rikudo Sennin could have predicted.

But for now they slept, Bijuu, Badger, and Jinchuuriki alike.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Naruto franchise, nor any of the other series I will be drawing inspiration from in this fanfiction. This is a work of fiction created purely for enjoyment, and no money shall be gained in its production.

**Author Note:** I will be the first to admit that I am not perfect, and therefore do not have a photographic memory regarding all things Naruto. With that said, expect some things to not be quite canon, but if something just seems entirely inaccurate and out of place please let me know, I am not above revising if needs be.

Again, thanks to all of those who have begun to read this story, I hope we all have fun with where this is going.

* * *

**BADGER**

**Chapter 03**

* * *

It was now four years after the attack of the Kyuubi, and a great celebration was taking place in the streets of Konoha, merchants from all across the Elemental Nations had shown up during the previous week in hopes of selling their wares during the festival. Temporary shelters now lined the main streets, built of wooden poles and heavy canvas cloth to block out the occasional light fall rain, tables set out laden with all matter of goods and knick knacks.

Every year the festival seemed to get larger and larger, partially due to the fact that it was now a familiar addition to their calendars, and more due to the fact that the economy of Konoha was much better than it had been in those few previous years just after the attack. With the civilians more comfortable with their finances, and no longer feeling the pinch of the recovery effort after the attack, this year's celebration promised to be spectacular.

However, a dark undercurrent was tainting the population of Konoha. Only a few months ago the Snake Sannin, Orochimaru, had been confronted by the Third Hokage when the man's twisted experiments had been discovered. Since the Slug Sannin Tsunade had left, and Jiraiya was only rarely seen in town during his wanderings, the number of Legendary Ninja was now at an all time low.

Jiraiya himself had been called back into town on the orders of Sarutobi in order to be seen during the festival to help boost both civilian and ninja morale. Since the festival was a time of high emotion, and was being held so soon after the snake Sannin's betrayal, it would be good for the people of Konoha to see a reminder of a brighter past.

Wandering the crowded streets, the white-haired Toad Sannin was idly moving from stall to stall to see what was for sale. Some of the oddest things could be found offered during these large celebrations, brought in from all corners of the world, and a sharp eye could often find unexpected treasures there. Doing his best to not pay attention to the whispers and pointing of the people around him as they noticed his presence, he stopped at a large booth selling stuffed animals.

Notably absent were the stuffed snakes he had seen last year, and numerous were the honorable stuffed frogs and toads, the occasional slug, and an impressively large number of badgers of different sizes and breeds. Smiling to himself upon spotting a massive stuffed honey badger against the back wall of the booth, he imagined a small child trying to stretch their arms around it in a hug, unable to touch their fingers together on the far side. It was hard to imagine anyone buying a stuffed animal that big, but who knew what some crazy civilian might do.

Shaking his head, Jiraiya left the stuffed animal booth behind, continuing down the street. Eventually, as it always seemed to, his wanderings led him to a nearby bar filled with the sounds of friendly shouting and laughter. Trained senses noticed a few civilian women dressed in a very relaxed manner hanging out with the patrons, bringing a massive smile to the professed pervert's face. Decision made, he walked over to take a spot on one of the few empty stools at the bar, catching the bartender's attention for a drink.

One drunken conversation in the corner of the room managed to catch the Sannin's attention just as a warm jug of Sake was set in front of him in exchange for the handful of ryo he had set down. Over in the corner of the open-front bar, next to the alleyway at its side, two ninja were trying to one up each other telling humorous facts about how amazing the Badger Summons were. Ever since it became common knowledge that without the help of Hachimitsu the Boss Badger, the Kyuubi might have reached the village itself, wreaking unknown devastation upon them.

"I hear that when Hachimitsu stands up, she's not pushing her body up, she's pushing the earth down," said one Jounin to the other.

"Is that right?" the second Jounin replied. "Well I hear that while us Ninja can walk on water, Hachimitsu can swim through the earth."

"It's said that the Shinigami once had a near-Hachimitsu experience," the first one countered.

It was at that moment that Jiraiya broke in on the conversation.

"Actually, you're right," Jiraiya told the first Jounin, sitting down at the table with his bottle of Sake. "When the Yondaime confronted the Kyuubi, he had to call on the Shinigami itself, and at the time Hachimitsu had her jaws locked onto the base of the Bijuu's tail."

"So..."

"Yes," Jiraiya nodded. "The Shinigami did have a near-Hachimitsu experience."

"Hey, wait, aren't you Jiraiya, the Toad Sannin?" the second Jounin asked, realizing who had just sat down with them. "I bet you know lots of things about the Badger Boss, right?"

"As a matter of fact," Jiraiya grinned, warming to the subject. "My Toad summons happen to live right next to the Badgers in the summon world, and I've heard a thing or two about their neighbors over the years. I might be willing to tell you some things, at least until my Sake runs out."

Quickly signaling to a waitress to bring their new friend another bottle of Sake, the two Jounin leaned forward in their seats in order to hear him better. While it might cost them some drink money then, if they got some good stories from the Sannin then they wouldn't have to pay for their own drinks for months!

Gracefully accepting the new bottle of Sake, Jiraiya leaned forward himself, and began to tell him some of his favorite stories about the Badger Clan.

* * *

Anko Mitarashi was miserable.

No, to call it miserable would be to understate how unbelievably horrible things were suddenly going in her life over the last few months. The sixteen year old had gone from being the promising Chuunin student of one of the Sannin, well respected due to the skill she had developed, to her new status as a pariah.

Ever since Orochimaru had betrayed Konoha, forced to flee by the Third Hokage after Sarutobi had discovered the lows that the Snake Sannin had reached in the name of experimentation, the people of Konoha saw only his betrayal when they looked at her. Whispers always followed her as civilian and ninja alike wondered aloud how long it would be until she left and rejoined her 'master' in exile, never realizing that she had been just as betrayed as they had, if not worse.

She had trusted him, looked up to him, and believed him to be the greatest of all Ninja. Following in his footsteps she saw herself as being the next great Kunoichi of Konoha, the new Snake Mistress, heir to his legacy. With the power and skills that only he could grant her, she could have been one of the sword arms that protected Konoha from all who would wish to poison it.

Now, she was the Snake Whore.

Giving in to a moment of weakness that she would never allow herself around others, a lone tear fell down her face as she walked through the narrow alleyways of Konoha. While everyone else was having fun with the festival, celebrating the defeat of the Kyuubi, she was left to wander the back alleyways alone, doing her best not to be seen by anyone else, lest she feel the now familiar sting of their hurtful words.

Reaching the end of this alleyway, she peered out of the shadows with pupil-less light brown eyes, inherited from a family that she had never met before becoming an orphan. Temporary shops of wood and canvas lined this street on either side, smiling people stopping at them on their way from one party to another, ryo exchanging hands like water as the people moved on, poorer in money but richer in life.

After a few moments of lingering, her ears caught the sounds of an interesting conversation over the din of noise around her. She had apparently stopped at the mouth of an alley next to one of the numerous open-front bars, the noise of drunken talking mixing with the clink and clatter of bottles and mugs. One table, closest to the alley itself, was holding a party of three ninja, just visible over a half-wall that was normally boarded over after closing.

Two of the ninja were currently sitting in rapt attention, drinks forgotten in their hands as they listened in on the words of 'wisdom' coming from the third member of their little party. Sitting across from them was a man that she quickly recognized as being Jiraiya of the Sanin, the 'eternal rival' to that bastard Orochimaru.

Her strongest memories of the white-haired Sannin at this point where when he had drawn the Evil Suppression seal to hold back the Seal of Heaven that Orochimaru had left on the side of her neck. While she could tell that he was suspicious of her himself, there had been an almost unfamiliar look of sympathy in his eyes, mirrored only by the Sandaime himself.

Deciding to listen to what he was telling the other two men, Anko settled herself in the shadows at the bottom of that half-wall, sitting down and hugging her knees to her chest.

"So then Besshimaru, the second-in-command to Manda the Snake Boss, decides that he's had enough of being bossed around by some Badger, right?" Jiraiya said, obviously more than a little drunk. "Bites her right on the face, trying to get as much of his venom into her as he can to kill her quick, knowing that if she gets a good lock on him with her jaws he's done for. He might be one of the biggest of the Snake Clan, only second to Manda himself, but Hachimitsu is huge! Like, Gamabunta huge even, right?"

Nodding, the two wide-eyed Jounin wordlessly agreed, and Jiraiya continued.

"What that snake bastard forgot was that Badgers got big old clawed hands, and lots of sharp pointy teeth in their mouths. If he had just bitten her and then tried to get away and wait for the poison to take effect, he might have even won, but he wasn't that smart. The next thing he knows she has her jaws locked around him in a death grip, crushing the life out of him, blood everywhere and his body thrashing about. Turns out her bite got him good, as it broke his spine just a bit after his head, and was doing a good job of choking the breath out of him at the same time... huh, my bottle is empty again, how did that happen?"

With a quick muttered conversation, a new bottle was placed in Jiraiya's hands, the waitress walking away with the empty and a few Ryo from one of the Jounin.

"Where was I?" Jiraiya asked.

"Snake with broken neck, choking," Jounin One urged.

"Ah, right," the Sannin said, taking a quick drink to wet his throat. "So by the time the venom kicked in and Hachimitsu stopped moving, Besshimaru was already done for, robbing Manda of his best subordinate. Poor Hachimitsu looked to be done for with that much venom inside her, and Gamabunta was just starting to wonder if he should start her last rites, when she suddenly got back up again as if nothing had happened!"

"What, how?!" Jounin Two demanded.

"Heck, it would take more than deadly toxin from a giant Inland Taipan to drop the Badger Boss," he answered. "Remember that Hachimitsu is a Honey Badger, and those guys can ignore just about anything that tries to kill them. When she woke up she stumbled a bit like she was drunk, then asked Gamabunta if he wanted to skin the snake before she started eating it. Gamabunta was rather proud of the new purse he made for his wife, and he made sure everyone knew whose skin it was made from too."

Smiling to herself for the first time since the betrayal, Anko imagined the look on Manda's snake face when he found out that his second in command had been eaten, and his skin turned into a purse for some lady-toad. Briefly allowing her mind to wander as she imagined Orochimaru summoning his snakes, only for a whole bunch of Badgers to show up and start eating them, she wished she knew someone that had signed that summoning contract so she could ask them to help her take out her treacherous ex-mentor. Maybe if she took part in killing him, people would stop thinking that she was still loyal to that bastard.

Sadly, with the last known signer of the Badger Contract dead, there was little possibility she would ever gain their help.

Looking up, Anko noticed a nearby shop selling stuffed animals, a massive fluffy-furred honey badger stuffed animal leaning in the back of the shop with a price tag hanging from its ear. Filled with her new love for badgers, she pulled out her meager wallet and counted how much money she had to spend. If she cut into her Dango fund, she should just be able to make ends meet before her next C-rank mission. Although the thought of cutting herself down to only one serving of Dango a day was a mighty sacrifice, she couldn't imagine going home without her own plush Hachimitsu that night.

Standing up and performing a quick Henge into a nondescript middle-aged man, she walked across the street to the booth of the stuffed animal salesman. With a quick lie that 'he' was buying it for his daughter, he walked away with a much lighter wallet, weighed down with a giant stuffed honey badger plushy that her sixteen year old arms barely fit around.

That night, Anko went to bed in her small run-down apartment, her body dwarfed by the massive plushy, a smile on her sleeping face. Hachimitsu appeared in her dreams, eating the snakes that had been haunting her nightmares, giving her the best night's sleep she'd had in over two months.

* * *

Elsewhere in Konoha someone else was also being introduced to the idea that Badgers were 'made of awesome' as young Naruto watched a puppet show reenacting the battle between the Kyuubi and Hachimitsu.

Heeding his own advice that the citizens needed to see a reminder of the strength of Konoha, Sarutobi had decided to drop by the orphanage and invite all of the children to join him in watching a puppet show being held for the festival. While the same reasons still stood that he could not be seen paying special attention to the young Uzumaki lest it give clue to the boy's true heritage, this concern was cleverly bypassed by inviting all of the children of the orphanage at once.

An area had been cleared beside the Ninja Academy, normally filled with targets and training dummies for the students to practice on, and a large temporary stage set up for the show. Chairs normally used in the classrooms were put to good use as children of all ages sat in rapt attention, eyes wide in wonder of the spectacle that was taking place in front of them.

Sarutobi had sent a letter to the Kazekage requesting the services of a team of puppeteers to put on this very show, paying for the B-Ranked mission from his own family account. While it was often frowned upon for a village to actively hire ninja from a foreign village, Suna had been long allies of Konoha, and their puppeteers were unrivaled by any of the other Elemental Nations.

Under the watchful gaze of not only the Hokage, but a large number of ANBU, these puppeteers manipulated the actors of this drama with skillful use of chakra strings, while another member of their troupe concentrated on a weak Genjutsu to set the backdrop on the stage. While too weak to fool any skilled ninja, the illusion gave the impression that the puppets were standing in a miniature forest, adding a level of realism that easily drew the children's imagination.

First to appear was the giant orange-furred Kyuubi puppet, easily as tall as a grown man even while on all fours, its nine impressive tails waving in the air behind it suspended on invisible chakra strings. A masterpiece of both puppetry and taxidermy, it brought back dark memories from four years previous, where Sarutobi had witnessed this battle with his own eyes.

Music began to play from behind the stage as the children gasped upon seeing the 'Kyuubi' for the first time as dozens of hand sized 'ninja' attacked their seemingly massive foe. Clever use of pyrotechnics and stage magic, backed up by an impressively minimal use of Genjutsu, allowed wave after wave of black clad ninja to throw themselves against the unrelenting attack of the Bijuu.

Wincing as memories of that night invaded his mind, the Hokage watched as those unfortunate ninja threw themselves against the relentless fox, their bodies tumbling lifelessly to the painted wooden floor of the stage as teeth, tail, and claw struck them down. While painful to watch, this puppet show would act as a very clever history lesson to the group of wide-eyed children that sat around him.

Behind the puppets the background scenery slowly shifted from left to right, showing how the battle had continued to move closer and closer to the village even as the older generation of ninja threw themselves against the might of the Kyuubi in a vain effort to slow its advance. Rolling in silently from the left came a painted wooden model of the giant earthen walls of the village, several more hand sized ninja puppets appeared to man the top of this final defense.

"Is that you?" asked a small voice beside him.

Sitting to his left was one of the orphans, a young girl who appeared to be about a year older than the young Naruto who was sitting on his other side. Her hair was pulled up into two buns on either side of her head, making her look like a miniature panda in the light reflecting off the stage.

"Yes, Tenten," the Hokage replied, recalling her name. "I was there that night, ready to give my life in defense of this Village and its people should the Kyuubi breach the walls."

"Why weren't you fighting it on the ground like the other ninja?" the girl asked, confused.

"Because I was given that task by the Yondaime, who needed time to prepare for the defeat of the Kyuubi," he answered, the sad look on his face thankfully hidden in the darkness of his hat.

If only he had known Minato's plan, he would have cast the Shiki Fuuin himself. Instead they lost two of the villages most promising ninja that night when Minato and Kushina had given their lives to seal the Bijuu within their own newborn son. It still pained him like a fresh wound when he thought of all they had lost that night, including his own wife Biwako.

To Sarutobi's right, young Naruto sat on the edge of his chair, his blue eyes wide as this scene of history played out before him. He had heard many times before that the Yondaime had saved the village from the Kyuubi, but hearing it said and seeing it shown were two entirely different things, and what he witnessed this night would have long lasting effects.

On the stage a new puppet suddenly appeared, the same size as the other ninja puppets but wearing a white mask with black stripes running down the front ending in a mock-snout. Landing not upon the defensive wall, but instead on the stage in front of the Kyuubi, the small masked puppet looked up fearlessly as the massive beast.

Children gasped as they saw the little man stare down the monster, sure that he would be tossed aside like all others before him.

"Who is that?" Tenten asked.

"That is Fugu Okamoto," Sarutobi replied.

"He must be strong, to stand up to the Kyuubi like that," Naruto said, speaking for the first time. "Does he have one of those blood thingies?"

"Bloodline," Sarutobi corrected. "And yes, the Okamoto clan had a very impressive Doton Bloodline that allowed them to manipulate the Earth on a scale that few have ever rivaled. It was Fugu's own grandfather who had carved the faces of the Shodaime and Nidaime upon the Hokage Monument, as well as my own, using a single Jutsu each time. When it came time to carve the Yondaime's face upon the mountainside, it was Fugu himself that had the honor."

"Whoa," both children exclaimed, eyes wide in wonder.

Up on the stage the Fugu puppet went through the motions of casting the Kuchiyose no Jutsu (summoning technique), its carved wooden hands clacking together in a rough approximation of the hand signs that it's inflexible fingers could not form. Completing its 'Jutsu' the puppet slammed its hands on to the floor of the stage, causing a large burst of chakra smoke to explode into the air, hiding the entire left hand side of the stage.

Gasps of wonder filled the air as the smoke cleared in the autumn breeze, slowly revealing the silver and black form of a honey badger standing defiantly between the Kyuubi and the village wall. Even though it stood at half the height of its opponent, the puppet form of Hachimitsu stood firm against the might of the 'Bijuu' that stood before it.

One of the children cried in dismay when Fugu puppet fell as if someone had cut its strings, the soft thump of its masked head hitting the stage seeming to draw the attention of the honey badger, her furred head turning to look down to the still form of her 'summoner'.

Behind the backdrop of the stage, a pair of koto drummers started a feral duet that slowly built in both speed and volume, trained hands twitching chakra strings in pace with this beat as the furred head of the badger puppet turned away from the lifeless Fugu to face its enemy. Dramatic music then began to play as the two massive puppets began to attack each other, almost drowning out the gasps and shouts of the child audience as they rooted for the Badger Boss.

For what seemed like hours to the children, but in all reality lasted all of seven minutes, the two furry puppets clashed against each other until the badger leapt forward and under the body of the fox, jaws latching on to the base of one of its nine long tails. Laughter erupted from the audience as the puppeteers made the fox puppet give a startled look at this unexpected turn of events. Sarutobi himself had to chuckle as the frightening visage of the Bijuu turned to a comedy of errors as it tried to dislodge the badger, only for the instruments of the hidden band to give voice to its yelps of pain on every attempt.

With a flash of light a new puppet appeared on the stage, this one wearing a white coat with red flames along the bottom, a wig of yellow-blond hair on its head. Appearing with its back facing the ongoing struggle, the puppet form of the Yondaime turned around at the sounds of the battle, jumping back into a fighting stance when it noticed the two giant animals nearby. Startling a second time, the Yondaime noticed the still form of Fugu lying on the stage beside him, seeming morose for a moment before looking back at the two larger puppets.

Moments later the Kyuubi reared its head back, maw opening towards the sky as the Genjutsu user behind the backdrop created the illusion of a black and red Bijuudama appear in the open space between its ivory teeth.

Suddenly appearing in a flash upon the Kyuubi's back, the Yondaime glowed blue with chakra for a brief moment before all three puppets disappeared from the stage in another burst of chakra smoke. By the time the smoke dissipated a much smaller pair of Kyuubi and Hachimitsu puppets could be seen on top of one of the wooden outlines of the hills outside of Konoha that had acted as a simple backdrop during the entire play before this. With a burst of pyrotechnics the tops of one of the hills exploded, the cleverly disguised paper mache prop disappearing in a burst of smoke and flame to reenact how that second Bijuudama had taken off the top of one of the hills outside Konoha, instead of going off in the village itself.

With a final flash of light, the smaller puppets of Fox and Badger disappeared, ending the story.

"Awesome," Naruto whispered, eyes still staring at the empty stage. "Hey, hey, Old Man?"

"Yes, Naruto," Sarutobi replied.

Watching from the corner of his eye, the Hokage had to stop himself from laughing as the nearby ANBU guards visibly flinched upon hearing the child call him 'Old Man'. Their trained instinct to defend the honor of their master warred with the knowledge that the same man saw the offending child as his own grandson in all but blood.

"What kind of animal was that black and white one?" Naruto asked, looking up at him with bright blue eyes.

"That was a badger," he replied.

"But aren't badgers supposed to have gray fur, and striped faces?" Tenten asked from his other side.

"That depends upon the family of the badger," he told her, looking over in her direction as he answered. "But that was supposed to be Hachimitsu, the Boss of the Badger Summons. She was what is called a honey badger, where the badgers found in the woods around here are called 'European Badgers'."

Both children nodded in acceptance, even though they didn't fully understand the answer. Experience in the classroom at the orphanage had taught them that sometimes asking for more information only brought a very long and boring lecture, and this seemed to be one of those times it would be better to stop while they were ahead.

It was getting very late in the evening, and the sun had already set by the time the puppet show had started. By this point a chill breeze was starting to stir the tops of the trees in the village, and blankets were handed out to the children by the ANBU who had prepared for the needs of their young charges. Accepting a pair of folded blankets from one of the ANBU, Sarutobi himself draped the gray wool cloth across the shoulders of the two children standing there with him, patting them on the back with a smile as they thanked him.

"Wait, badgers have Bosses?" Naruto asked suddenly. "Is that like being the Hokage of badgers?"

"In a way, yes," Sarutobi replied.

"Awesome!" the blond said, nearly losing his blanket in his excitement, only to pull it back against his small frame as a wind blew past.

A wide grin grew upon the Hokage's face as he imagined Hachimitsu wearing a copy of his own Kage Hat, her glossy black furred snout poking out from beneath the pointed brim. Shaking his head ruefully at the idea, he led Naruto and Tenten along, while the ANBU herded the rest of children back towards the orphanage.

* * *

That night when Naruto went to bed his dreams were visited by a giant honey badger wearing a copy of the Hokage's robes and hat who walked beside him as they moved through the streets of Konoha. Whenever a villager would glare in the blonde's direction the 'Badger Kage' would raise one clawed paw and summon a bunch of badgers wearing ninja uniforms, who would take the offender out of his sight.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Naruto franchise, nor any of the other series I will be drawing inspiration from in this fanfiction. This is a work of fiction created purely for enjoyment, and no money shall be gained in its production.

**Author Note:** The first few chapters before this jumped around a bit to help set the background, but things are going to slow down for a bit as some major changes start to happen. You know, in case the changes before this were not major enough.

By the way, _here there be badgers._

* * *

**BADGER**

**Chapter 04**

* * *

Life in the orphanage was not a pleasant experience for Naruto over the course of the next year.

Tenten was the only friend he had managed to make there, the other children steering clear of him upon the whispered urgings of the Matron, and she had finally managed to get adopted just before her own fifth birthday in March. Even though Naruto was happy for his friend finally finding someone to call family, it was hard on him to be alone.

There had been a number times in the last few months when he had gotten really sick while eating dinner, usually when he was grounded and had to eat alone in his room. One time he had even fallen asleep after having his tummy hurt for a while, only to wake up to see one of the Uchiha Police standing over him writing out a report. For some reason the Matron had seemed angry when he got up and told them he was feeling better.

As an unexpected side effect of the matron trying to subtly rid Konoha of the 'Demon Child' every time he was poisoned the Eight Trigrams Seal would loosen just enough to allow the Chakra of its prisoners to flow through his young body to help heal him of the damage. Due to the amazing regenerative capabilities of the thick Chakra of the Uzumaki Bloodline, the momentary flow of Youki healed him much faster than it could cause harm, the normally caustic energy diluted by his own Chakra.

Eventually things came to a head when a chance comment to the Matron by one of the civilian council reminded the wicked woman that there was no age limit in the charter for when it could be decided that one of the orphans was old enough to take care of themselves. With the Hokage distracted by his own ten month old grandson it was doubtful that he would be coming by the orphanage during this year's festival, making it a perfect time for her to kick the unwanted child out into the streets. After all, who knew what might happen to a child wandering around during such a large celebration, especially when it was that particular child?

When the matron had come in to Naruto's room with a smile on her face he had hoped that someone had finally decided to adopt him like his friend Tenten, but instead she had told him that he was old enough now to take care of himself. For several long moments he sat on his bed in confusion while the Matron watched on in malicious glee.

Deciding she had given him enough time to prepare himself she called out for two of the larger men on staff to escort the demon brat safely out of her orphanage. Without even giving him a chance to grab a coat, let alone a spare set of clothes, the two men picked the boy up and roughly carried him between them through the halls of the building, ignoring his shouts and cries as they passed by the stunned faces of the other orphans that lived there. What few members on the staff that carried no ill will against the Jinchuuriki were powerless to act as they watched the blonde haired child carried out of their lives and into the streets.

* * *

Naruto stood in front of the closed gates to the orphanage for some time, unable to quite understand what had just happened to him. Even though he was only a five year old kid, he still understood enough things about the world to know that children weren't able to take care of themselves, and he definitely wasn't old enough to become a ninja as they started school at like eight or something, which was ages away.

Soon realizing that he would not get any help standing there in the street, he turned around and started walking towards where the Festival was going on closer to the heart of the village. He remembered last year that the Old Man had taken him and Tenten to see the awesome show with the big badger in it, and wondered if they were having the show again this year.

_Maybe the Old Man will be there,_ Naruto thought to himself. _I'll tell him what happened, and he can make everything better._

Folding his hands across his chest to keep himself as warm as he could in his tee shirt and pants, he was glad that at least he had been wearing his sandals when they had dropped him out in the street. As he walked towards the center of the village he was passed by several people, some of which glanced at the shivering child in concern before realizing who it was before smugly continuing on their way, warm within their coats and cloaks.

By the time Naruto reached the main streets the Festival was already in full swing, the air filled with the sounds celebration as people greeted each other, merchants lured potential customers to their stands, bands played, and strings of fireworks were let off. It was more comfortable in the heart of the village, with the cluttered buildings blocking the bite of the wind and the warmth of the people walking around dulled the sharp chill in the autumn air.

Banners hung here and there, dyed and sometimes even embroidered with images of badgers and foxes. Often the banners showed the animals separately, though a few of them showed them locked in battle, the common theme the three claw marks over the badger's eye and its jaws locked on the base of one of the fox's tails. These banners brought a smile to Naruto's face whenever he saw them dispute his discomfort.

Eventually he found his way to the Ninja Academy and walked through the open gates, eyes searching for the sights and sounds of last year's puppet show. Silence and empty ground met his gaze, the cheers and music of the celebrating village sounding hollow as it echoed off the plastered walls of the academy building.

_The Old Man isn't here_, Naruto thought to himself, heart sinking. _Maybe I can find someone who can tell me where he is._

Knowing he had to do something, as it was only getting colder as the warmth of the sun became a memory and dinner now seemed so long ago, he turned himself around and walked away from the academy and back into the streets. Uncomfortable under the cold glares of the adults he began to hug the edges of the walls to stay out of the way, avoiding the streets with a large number of stands as those were harder to slip past. Several times he saw one of the ninja that wore masks like Fugu leaping along the rooftops, but they never seemed to notice him when he tried to catch their attention, quickly disappearing into the moonlit night.

As he rounded a street corner the boy suddenly crashed into something, yelping in surprise as he bounced back and landed on the flagstone street, his head knocking against the wooden side of a building. Blinking his eyes to clear them he looked up to see a large man wearing rough spun brown clothes, a clay jug hanging loosely from a finger wound through a small handle next to the neck. A confused look painted itself on the man's face as his watery red eyes glanced at the puddle left behind from when his jug had spilled, quickly replaced by sorrow as if he had seen his only friend leave him behind.

Looking around for what had caused his misfortune, the man quickly spotted the blond haired child slumped against the outer wall of the bar he had just left, and he was forced to squint his eyes to get a better look at the boy. Mind sluggish from the amount of alcohol he had tried to drown his sorrow in on the anniversary of losing his wife and children to the Kyuubi, it took a moment for the villager to realize who had run into him and caused him to spill his liquid comfort.

"D.. don't you think... you've t-taken enough from me?" the villager asked the child, the words slurred as his tongue seemed too large for his mouth. "First you take... take my home... then my family... a-and now you take my drink?!"

Naruto had no idea what the man was on about, but he didn't have a chance to even try to reply as the man let out a sound halfway between an inarticulate roar and a painful sob. Dreadfully startled, the boy quickly curled into a ball with his knees held up to his chest and his arms clutched over his head just in time to be peppered by shards of broken pottery.

Luckily the man's aim had been off, and the thrown jug had smashed against the wall a few feet above Naruto's head instead of hitting him in the head as had been the man's intent. Mumbling to himself, the large man wandered off down the street leaving behind a trail of tears on the ground and a rather startled young Jinchuuriki.

Deciding that maybe the village was a bit too dangerous, and remembering the field trips that his class had taken into the forest, Naruto decided that perhaps he could find some shelter out there for the night... away from the dangers of the village.

* * *

Sarutobi was reminded of a night a few years ago similar to this one as he sat in his office in the Hokage Tower before a pile of paperwork. Sitting in the corner of his office was a familiar crib, though the infant laying there was his grandson in matters of more than just the heart. Like Naruto, Konohamaru was also an orphan at only ten months old, his father having died in defense of the Fire Daimyo during his duties as one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja.

Asuma had been named as the child's godfather before he had been born, a duty made more pressing when his mother had died a few months later from complications during the childbirth. Sarutobi had argued with Asuma that it was his responsibility to take care of his nephew, but his stubborn son had disagreed and instead left to take his brother's place at the Daimyo's side.

This had left the eldest Sarutobi with the task of watching over his grandson as best he could with all the duties he had as Hokage, often leaving him to rely on the assistance of an old friend and her husband. On this night though he did not have it in his heart to keep the couple from the festival, and so he had told them to go and have fun while he watched over the child.

Flinching as Konohamaru suddenly awoke from sleep with a piercing wail, the God of Shinobi ignored the silent chuckles of his hidden ANBU guard as he got up from behind his desk and walked over to the crib to find out what the child needed. The needs of a ten month old infant were not large in number, but it could be sometimes quite difficult to discover what was bothering the boy.

Flinching visibly as he neared the crib, the Hokage carefully took off his robes and hat and laid them on one of the office chairs, leaving him in his black combat gear he still wore beneath his mantle of office. Not only was it practical to be dressed for combat at all times, his position as Hokage meaning he was a leader of a village of ninja after all, but an added advantage was that the cloth they made these uniforms out of was designed to be easily cleaned from the kind of messes one ended up getting on you in a battle.

Even if that battle was with a dirty diaper.

Schooling his face as he prepared himself for a battle worse than his war on paperwork, the Hokage placed any thoughts about young Naruto into the back of his mind. He would visit the boy the following morning once his friends were available to take back over watching his actual grandson. No doubt the other child would forgive him for being a day late, after all what was the worst that could happen?

* * *

Sniffing to himself as he wandered the forests outside Konoha, his only possessions the clothes on his back, Naruto quickly wiped the tears from his cheeks with a swipe of dirty fingers, leaving streaks on his face. It was now rather late at night but the moon was hanging full in the skies above, its silvery light filtering through the partial cover of the half barren trees that surrounded him. Dry leaves crunched beneath his sandals, the sound echoing sharply through the crisp autumn air and startling a nearby squirrel into its hollow.

Wishing he knew why nobody seemed to like him except the Old Man, he shivered in the cold as his wandering feet carried him further into the wilderness. Malnourished as he was from years of being given the smallest servings of food, and often being sent to his room before dinner in 'punishment', it would only be a matter of time before nature and the elements finished the job that the Matron back at the orphanage had failed at despite her numerous attempts to poison the 'demon child'.

After an hour of wandering deeper into the hills outside Konoha, and getting colder as time went on, the strength finally fled his shaking legs, causing him to fall awkwardly to the ground. Gasping as the force of his landing knocked the air from his lungs, the blonde haired child spend several moments laying there in the dry leaves as the world seemed to spin around him. Absent were the sounds of concern he has heard spoken to the other children whenever they were hurt, his pain answered by the sound of a cold wind stirring the loose leaves in the trees above.

Rolling over on his back, Naruto had just managed to get himself sitting upright with his legs stretched out on the ground in front of him when a rustling of leaves caught his attention. Confused for a moment, he wondered why hearing leaves moving was suddenly strange when that was pretty much all he had been hearing since walking out the unguarded gate of the village when he heard the sound again.

Unaware of the dangers that a forest could hold for a small child, and desperate for anything to take his attention away from the cold and hunger he was feeling, the boy turned his head to look towards a nearby hill that stood beneath the trunk of a massive tree. He had almost decided it had been his imagination when he heard the rustling again, and saw a pile of loose leaves shift around to create the sound that had caught his attention. Seeming to move at random the disturbance in the leaves slowly moved in his general direction, pausing on occasion with the sound of something digging in the topsoil. Soon a strange snuffing sound met his ears, followed by a few random grunts that caused Naruto to let out a short giggle.

The reaction was instant as the movement beneath the leaves suddenly stopped, leaving Naruto to the sound of his own breathing against a backdrop of wind in the treetops. Holding his breath in a desperate attempt to encourage whatever was beneath those leaves to move again, his bright blue eyes shone as he watched the bright patch of silver moonlight that shined upon the small clearing that stood between him and the hill.

After a long moment of silence a furry head poked out, bright white stripes contrasting with black as the wedge shaped head rose up from under the carpet of bright reds oranges and yellows of the fallen leaves. Black eyes peered around the forest from behind a twitching nose, easily spotting the presence of a young human child sitting nearby.

Huffing to itself as if sighing, the animal ducked its head back beneath the leaves and made its way over to where he was sitting, the odd grunting and sniffing sounds allowing Naruto to follow its progress almost as easily as the shifting leaves did. Soon enough the animal got to within a few feet of him and poked its head back out from underneath the loose cover, allowing Naruto to get his first good look at the forest resident.

After seeing the puppet show last year Naruto and Tenten had looked through the picture books available at the orphanage for anything having to do with badgers, an interest shared by several other children during the weeks following last year's Festival. Since badgers were seen as symbols of protection by the people of Konoha after the Kyuubi attack, some going to far as to wearing small hand carved pendants bearing their likeness, he knew that badgers were good and wouldn't hurt him.

This badger was rather impressive for its breed, its sloped shoulders doing nothing to hide the fact that it was larger and heavier than the malnourished child sitting in front of it. Weighing in at a little over thirty two bounds it actually had a good seven pounds on a child who was much too small for his age. Thick muscles in the badger's back twitched, causing its fur to bunch up for a moment, before it lifted its snout to take several deep sniffs to catch the human child's scent.

Pausing for a moment, then taking a deeper snort, the badger inspected the young boy. Shuffling around him on short legs it took a moment to shove its nose directly into the boy's left armpit, startling him with the strange sensation of having its twitching cold nose there, before redirecting its attention to the short blonde hair on his head. Finally seeming pleased with its inspection of the boy, it slumped back down to the ground and walked out from behind him towards the base of the nearby hill, stopping only to look back at him.

For a long moment the two looked at each other before the badger made an odd whickering sound to itself, sound almost like the soft whinny of a horse. Turning its stout body back around it walked back over to where Naruto was still sitting and reached out to carefully grab the edge of his pants with its sharp teeth, being careful not to cause him any harm as it gave the clothes a sharp tug. Letting go of his clothing, the badger walked back towards the hill for a few feet before looking back at him again, causing him to realize what the animal wanted.

"Oh, you want me to follow you?" Naruto muttered, half delirious from exhaustion.

For some reason the focused attention from the large animal reminded Naruto of what he imaged it would be like to have a mother. This thought warmed his heart, giving him the energy to get back up on wobbly knees and follow this Momma Badger as she led him towards the hillside, pausing on occasion to look back over her shoulder to make sure he was still following her. Eventually their path led to a spot half way up the hill, with Naruto having to crawl on his hands and knees to keep from falling, where they stopped at a large patch of loose dirt that looked like it had poured out of a hole in the side of the hill between two roots of the giant tree.

Noticing that the child had stopped moving, Momma Badger approached him again to give an insistent tug on the sleeve of his tee shirt before disappearing into the large hole. Unsure of what awaited him in the hole, yet trusting that she wasn't going to lead him into harm, he crouched there on the hillside on his hands and knees for another long moment. Without giving him time to decide on his own, a bitter cold wind suddenly swept through the forest, sending pins and needles across the skin of his windward side. Yelping in shock he dove into the hole, trusting his fate in the good will of Momma Badger, his small frame easily slipping inside the wide entrance to the Sett.

It was strange to enter her home, the only light available a small sliver of reflected moonlight slipping past the obstruction of his own body. Thankfully the tunnel he now found himself in was fairly dry, and not nearly as cold as it was outside with all that wind blowing around. An odd sense of belonging wove its way through the delirious mind of the child as the suddenly familiar scent of badger musk filled his nose, the snorting breath of Momma Badger echoing back at him from further inside the Sett.

Following the sounds of her breathing, Naruto soon found himself once again crawling on his hands and knees as the occasional dangling root brushed against his exposed face and down his back as he made his way deeper underground. Soon enough warmth was returning to his body from a combination of the physical act of crawling and the natural insulation of the hill now seeming press down from above. Coming to an intersection in the tunnel he felt around with his hands, the scrabbling of loose dirt beneath him echoing off the walls and giving him a strange sense of the walls surrounding him. Hearing a faint cooing noise off to the right he took that turn, realizing that is the direction that Momma Badger had gone off in.

After what seemed like an eternity he suddenly felt a difference, the closeness of the roof giving away above him and the sounds of Momma Badger no longer distant. Sitting up slightly so that he could reach around with his hands again he felt the strangely rough yet smooth feeling of large tree roots tracing a dome like roof above his head, the apex high enough that he had to sit up fully to trace its contour.

Rustling of dry grasses caught his attention, and soon enough he once again felt Momma Badger tugging upon his clothes, leading him to a corner of the room. Upon reaching the corner his hands met a thick bed of loose hay acting as both a cushion as well as insulation from the ground, nudges of her wedge shaped nose joining in with the tugs on his clothes as she brought him to the center of this mass.

Finally getting him to lay down, she circled around him a few times before coming to a rest next to him on the bed of hay, the thick fur on her back lying warm against the thin cover of his shirt. Feeling safe and warm for the first time since getting kicked out of the orphanage, Naruto fell into a sudden deep sleep in the odd company of his new friend.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Naruto franchise, nor any of the other series I will be drawing inspiration from in this fanfiction. This is a work of fiction created purely for enjoyment, and no money shall be gained in its production.

**Author Note: **Sorry about the slight delay in posting this chapter, but I got caught up in reading fanfiction instead of writing it, then real life threw some stuff in my direction... and then I got busy writing the rough drafts for chapters seven and eight before realizing I hadn't done a rewrite of chapter five yet. Sorry about how short this chapter is, but I decided it was best to cut if off where I did to keep the flow right.

Special thanks go to my best friend, and proofreader, Amedao.

And without any further Ado...

* * *

**BADGER**

**Chapter 05**

* * *

Hachimitsu, boss of the Badger Summon Clan, awoke to the uncomfortable sensation of wet fur and the ache of old wounds.

Wondering how the Great Sett had managed to get flooded before remembering where she was, the massive honey badger rolled her body over until her weight was resting on her heavy paws and pushed herself up on shaking legs. Water dripped from her soaked fur into the ankle deep pool she found herself standing in, causing her to shake herself from nose to tail, her loose skin spinning on her frame in a spiraling wave throwing as much of the water off her as possible.

Blinking her eyes open she looked over to the far corner of the cage where the form of the Kyuubi lay near motionless, the massive tears in its hide she had seen last time mostly closed up by this point. Several of the larger wounds were still visibly leaking Youki in a sluggish flow that mixed with the water covering the floor, causing a fading red glow of energy to stretch out until it was absorbed into the massive bars of the seal that blocked them off from the rest of the human child's mindscape.

Stretching out her rudimentary Chakra senses she tried to get an idea of how long it might be before the Bijuu was healed enough to wake up, and how long after that she might have a fight on her hands again.

In order to ensure that the Badgers were never without the knowledge and skills of a trained Sage, a tradition had begun where the current Boss would be trained so that if something happened to their current Sage there would be someone available to accept the burden of being the voice of knowledge and wisdom for the Clan, and chose the next Boss to lead their people. After winning the challenge fight against Shigeo of the European Badgers and accepting the title of Badger Boss she had begun her training under Yuudai, the current Badger Sage.

"I-impossible!" Hachimitsu snapped out, blinking in shock at what her senses were telling her.

She had been focusing on the Youki that was leaking into their environment from the Kyuubi to get a better reading of how much strength it had regained after being literally torn in two and shoved into the seal by the hand of the Shinigami. What was shocking was that there was no longer just a single source of Youki within the seal, but two! There was still the immense well of energy that was the Bijuu, seeming hollow and perhaps only half-full even after the amount of time that had already passed, which was only to be expected.

What was not expected on the other hand was that Hachimitsu was feeling an odd echo of Youki coming from within her own body!

Turning her senses inwards, the honey badger took several long moments to get a better reading, trying to figure out what was going on. There were obvious taps on her Chakra network leading off to the giant paper seal on the outside of the cage that represented the Shiki Fuuin that held both Fox and Badger within the human child. Tracing this invisible threads of energy she came to a point just at the edge of the seal where the drain on her own chakra network merged with the thicker bands of chakra running from the Kyuubi before passing into the seal itself.

Paying closer attention to the point at which their two energies joined she noticed a strange feedback loop where some of the energy was bleeding back along the link in both directions. Some of the Doton-natured chakra of her own complete chakra system, both Yin and Yang, was passing back up the threads linking the Kyuubi to the seal to feed back into the still body of the Bijuu. An equal flow of Youki was feeding back up her own side of the link, forcing the normally caustic energy to flow into her own Chakra network.

Were she anything other than a summon animal, this trickle of highly corrosive Youki would have probably killed her shortly after the sealing in a very painful manner as her own Chakra coils and Tenketsu melted from the potent energy. Since she was a summon animal however the very nature of her own Chakra network had adapted to the slow trickle of Youki being siphoned into her, likely aided by the very nature of the seal itself that had been designed to filter out the worst of the damaging nature of Youki before allowing it out into the growing human child's own body.

Normally she would have already been de-summoned back to the Great Sett when the temporary pool of energy granted to her during her summons had been used up, but it seemed that somehow the combination of being stuck within a seal powered by the Shinigami itself and tied into the nigh limitless source of energy of a Bijuu, had changed the nature of things. Much like when Fugu had summoned her using his own Doton natured Chakra to reinforce her summoned body, helping to super-charge her own Doton nature before the fight, her body had merely changed from one energy source to another.

Shrugging her silver furred shoulders, she decided that there wasn't much she could really do to change her circumstances within the seal, deciding to instead see what was happening on the outside.

Since the seal itself was drawn in such a way to hold the Yang Chakra of the Kyuubi it did little to stop the trickle of her Yin chakra as she sent a probe out into the child's mindscape, the small fraction of Youki that went along for the ride being quickly drained away by the seal before allowing her own purified Doton Chakra to pass along unimpeded.

* * *

While few could argue that the Eight Trigrams Seal that Minato had created was a masterpiece of not only complexity in design but also strength - necessarily so in order to contain even half the strength of the greatest of the nine tailed beasts within the living container of his own son - Fuuinjutsu was a difficult skill to learn for the simple fact that there is almost no way to calculate all of the variables that could affect the outcome of using a seal.

Take for example the standard storage seal, which had not changed significantly even though several generations had passed since their initial design and use. Despite how high the demand was for a more powerful explosive seal, what with the violent and often short lived nature of the Ninja career, there hadn't been much advance made in that direction either. And those were the two most commonly used seals in all of the Elemental Nations.

Taking into account that Fuuinjutsu alone would not have the ability to seal away the entire strength of the Kyuubi, Minato had designed the entire sealing array around the knowledge that he would have the Yin chakra of the Bijuu sealed within his own body, taking it with him into the belly of the Shinigami when his own soul was taken as payment for using the Shiki Fuuin. Several sections of the seal had been designed for the express purpose of lessening the physical impact of having the Kyuubi's Yang Chakra sealed within the body of the new Jinchuuriki.

Thanks to the Uzumaki bloodline, Naruto had been granted a deep well of dense chakra all of his own, allowing the filtering nature of the seal to prevent all but the smallest of physical changes to show through. Small things like the whisker marks on his cheeks, and his trickster nature, had been inherited even before he was born, passed down through his mother's own genetics and his close proximity to the Kyuubi while still in the womb. Having the Bijuu itself sealed within him would have merely heightened these traits, and multiplied the strength of the longevity and regenerative granted by the same Uzumaki bloodline that made him a perfect candidate to be the next Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

Hachimitsu's unexpected presence within the seal had not been account for in the design, as the seal had not been drawn to filter away the physical influences that might come from the Doton natured Yang Chakra of the Badger Boss, let alone the added presence of her Yin Chakra. At first the small trickle of this foreign Chakra leaking out from behind the seal did not have much effect upon the child, but when she sent a deliberate probe of Yin Chakra from behind the seal it brought its Doton nature along from the ride, unfiltered and now bleeding through the still developing Chakra network of the five year old child as he spent his first night asleep deep within the twisting tunnels of Momma Badger's sett.

Through a strange set of occurrences that defied odds, the thick roots that acted to hold up the roof of the hollow the boy was sleeping in belonged to a large Chakra Tree whose seed had accidentally fallen in this random patch of forest shortly after the First Hokage had turned the lands around them from rolling plains to the thick woods that now stood there. While it was common knowledge that the paper made from these trees had the ability to tell a ninja what their elemental nature was when they channeled their Chakra through it, it was a well guarded fact that the living trees acted as a great focus of Chakra on their own.

Sleeping directly beneath the great trunk of this Chakra tree, surrounded on all sides by the solid dirt of the hillside with the thick roots of the tree spreading down from the roof of the hollow and connecting back beneath them as the tree sought out water and nutrients from deep within the earth, Naruto was unaware of the energy that suddenly began to flow through him. Around him the roots of the tree began to glow as they focused the sudden surge of Chakra flowing through the child from behind the seal.

This sudden surge of Doton Chakra flowing through his body, concentrated as it was by the roots and earth that surrounded him within the heart of Momma Badger's sett, caused a deep change within his own Chakra network. While he had inherited a strong Futon (wind) nature from his father, the flood of Chakra flowing through him now quickly subsumed the weaker Futon nature he had been born with. At the same time, the seal that was designed to keep him from developing too many fox like traits was little hindrance for the new badger traits that began to leak into him.

Small changes had already begun happening to him from the very moment that the sealing had been completed trapping both the Kyuubi and Hachimitsu within him, though the slumbering nature of his tenants made these changes almost unnoticeable. However, one of the few traits that he had already developed was the faint smell of a badger around him, easily overriding the faint fox like smell he would have had without the Badger Boss' presence within him.

It had been that familiar scent of family, the pheromones released by the abandoned orphan as he walked through the woods at night that had drawn Momma Badger to him. Although he had looked odd covered as he was by the strange not-fur, her nose had told him that he was a kit without a mother in desperate need of nurturing and protection, in spite of his odd shape.

Which now brought him here, back pressed against the warm fur of Momma Badger, surrounded and suffused with the chakra being sent into him by Hachimitsu, deep within the rich soil of the forests of the Land of Fire, directly beneath the trunk of a Chakra Tree, and surrounded as he was by its roots. With all of these factors combined his undeveloped Futon nature was easily overridden and replaced with a strong Doton nature the likes of which had not been seen since the death of Fugu Okamoto. While almost imperceptible at this point, in later years it would come to be known that the once great Okamoto Doton Bloodline had been reborn within the young Uzumaki that night.

Safe within the grasp of the earth, nose taking in the calming scent of 'home' from the dirt and hay he lay upon, and 'safety' from the musky scent of Momma Badger as she lay at his back, Naruto had the most restful night of sleep in his entire life, blissfully unaware of what had just begun, and what effect his sudden absence would soon have on a small number of people in the village nearby.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Naruto franchise, nor any of the other series I will be drawing inspiration from in this fanfiction. This is a work of fiction created purely for enjoyment, and no money shall be gained in its production.

**Author Note: **Wow, just wow. I did not expect to get as many reviews for the last chapter as I ended up getting! It's always nice to get feedback, and I truly appreciate the time people have been taking to let me know what they think.

The story is picking up now, as Naruto is out of the orphanage and into the forest, and you have caught a glimpse of what is going on inside the seal. This chapter will be significantly larger than the last, as Naruto's absence now becomes known.

I thought about breaking this chapter into two parts, but Amedao told me it worked better if I kept it together instead.

* * *

**BADGER**

**Chapter 06**

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat once more behind his desk, having come in early that morning to see a fresh stack of papers sitting there to welcome him.

Several sticks of incense burned in the far corner of his office in a vain effort to cover the smell left behind by the many, many dirty diapers that he had been forced to change the night before. While it warmed his heart that at least one other member of the Sarutobi clan was alive in Konoha to carry on their legacy, he had barely gotten any rest last night while watching over the infant on his own. He could only thank the Kami that his grandson's caretakers had returned from the festival in time for him to get any sleep at all.

Tired eyes looked over yet another request from the civilian council asking him to approve an increase in the number of missions being taken by Konoha's ninja forces in order to bring more money into the village. This was one of the most difficult parts of being the leader of a Hidden Village, when you had to decide whether or not to risk the lives of those depending on you for guidance.

Sarutobi sighed and turned his head to gaze out the window of his office, his eyes roaming over the rooftops of the village that he had sworn to protect with his life. Heavy winds had swept through the village late last night, bringing with them the heavy clouds that now loomed overhead, thick with the promise of rain. Even though the sun had already risen over an hour ago, the village was gray and dreary, a sharp contrast to the moonlit Festival from the night before.

While their numbers were slowly recovering from the losses suffered during the Kyuubi attack, they were still struggling to cover what obligations they had already, and what few warm bodies they did have to spare were already in danger of burning out from near constant deployment. There was no feasible way to take on any more work than they current had, especially since they were now having to rely upon two man teams of Chuunin without any Jounin supervision to complete many of the borderline C-Ranked missions deemed too dangerous for the greener Gennin teams.

Coming to a decision, he grabbed his pen with a deft hand that defied the ache in his joints that even the best medical Jutsu could not prevent, writing his denial at the bottom of the page. With practiced ease he lifted his seal of office and stamped it on the document before placing the seal back on its ink soaked pad, making his refusal official.

Watching the ink dry on the paper reminded him of another seal that belonged to someone else who had unknowingly pledged themselves to the defense of their village on the day he was born. Poor Naruto had no idea of the burden that he carried, and how his sacrifice kept the village safe from the fury of the Kyuubi on a daily basis. It was a shame that he had not been able to visit the boy during the Festival, as Naruto had a wonderful time the year before when Sarutobi had taken the entire orphanage to see the puppet show.

Deciding to see if he could visit the boy now that he was not stuck watching over Konohamaru, Sarutobi raised a hand in a subtle signal, summoning one of the hidden ANBU guards to his side.

"Mukade (Centipede), please go to the orphanage and ask Matron Wamura if she can spare young Naruto Uzumaki for a few hours today for a visit with me?" Sarutobi asked the insect-masked ANBU.

"Yes, Lord Hokage," Mukade replied, disappearing via Shunshin to complete his mission.

Knowing that it would take several minutes to hear anything back from the ANBU, Sarutobi turned to the next paper in his stack, noticing that it was a message from Jiraiya, who few knew was the head of Konoha's information network. During recent months the Sannin had come across rumors of an upswing in bandit activity along the southern border of Fire, and was planning to visit the area to investigate these claims further.

While the thought of increased bandit activity was disturbing to the Hokage, he had to consider that his student might have less than honorable reasons for heading south this time of year. Even at this time of year the waters of the South Sea were warm and inviting, the currents sweeping over the deep volcanic fissures beneath the waters making the shallow beaches a popular destination even during the winter. Doubtless a large amount of this 'research' would be of the Icha Icha variety.

Thinking of those books, Sarutobi contemplated taking a break with his copy of the most recent volume hidden in the lower drawer of his desk before the thought was interrupted by the sudden return of Mukade. Frowning as he realized that the ANBU had returned without Naruto, he leaned back in his chair and pinned the nervous man with a long gaze.

"Lord Hokage, I regret to inform you that Naruto is not in the orphanage," Mukade reported. "When questioned, Matron Wamura advised that the child has been deemed mature enough to live on his own, and was 'allowed' to move out late last night during the festival."

Raw and unfocused Killing Intent filled the office as the Hokage heard this report.

"They kicked a five year old child out of the orphanage at the beginning of winter," Sarutobi asked, his voice deceptively calm.

"Yes, Lord Hokage," the ANBU answered. "I did an immediate search of the property myself to be sure, and found no sign of the child's presence. His room had already been emptied out by the time I arrived, and shows recent signs of cleaning on all the surfaces with disinfectant. It looked as if they tried to erase any trace that he was ever there, my Lord."

Taking a deep breath, Sarutobi placed his hands on the surface of the desk and slowly stood, a grim look on his face. Wood scraped on wood as his chair was pushed away by as the back of his legs pressed against the seat, sounding harsh in the sudden deafening silence of the room.

"Summon ANBU agents Ookami and Inu, then detain the Matron in her own office until we arrive," Sarutobi commanded the man.

"Yes, Lord Hokage!" Mukade replied with a quick bow before disappearing with another Shunshin.

Silence filled his office once more, the wind caused by the ANBU's teleportation Jutsu causing the smoke rising from the incense in the far corner to dance in the shifting air currents. Picking up Jiraiya's report he began to read it again in a vain effort to calm his mind, though his thoughts kept drifting to the missing child that he thought of as a second grandson.

_If only I had gone to visit him last evening,_ Sarutobi thought to himself. _If I had been there, I doubt that the Matron would have dared to kick the boy out of the orphanage. Although it is strange that she dared to do so even without my presence to stop her, surely she did not think that she would get away with kicking a Clan Heir out into the streets? Unless..._

"She didn't know," he spoke aloud. "She must have thought that Naruto was the child of civilians, placing him under the rulings of the Civilian Council instead of the Ninja Council."

Konoha's law system was separated into two distinct branches out of necessity, with the Civilian Charter on one side dictating the rules and punishment deemed fit for civilians, while the Clan Charter covered not only those men and women who had graduated the Academy to become Ninja, but also the children of recognized Clans. It was forbidden for the Civilian Court to try a case involving any parties covered by the Clan Charter, even if it was a domestic situation where the laws matched word for word.

One of those very important differences in the law books was that the orphanage was not allowed to dismiss a clan heir without express permission from either a member of that same clan, or the Hokage himself. Since Kushina had been the last known living member of the Uzumaki Clan, and Sarutobi knew for a fact that he had not accepted any requests to turn Naruto out into the streets, this meant that Matron Wamura had committed treason.

He would like to find out why.

Sensing the subtle rise of Chakra in front of his desk signaling an incoming Shunshin, the Hokage placed the report he had been staring at for the last few minutes back on the surface of his desk, leaning his head so that the brim of his hat shadowed his eyes. Moments later a figure arrived in his office, the burst of chakra smoke released by the teleportation Justu shadowing their form.

Years of practice allowed him to recognize the outline of Ookami (Wolf), one of the few members of the Inuzuka Clan actively enrolled in the ANBU, and Konoha's best tracker-nin. Standing beside her leg was the lean, wolf like form of her ninken (ninja dog) companion, whose keen nose would be leading the hunt for the missing Uzumaki.

As the mist faded it revealed a white porcelain mask framed by spiky brown hair, two fang like marks tracing down the cheeks of the wolf shaped mask matching those tattooed on the face hidden beneath. While most ANBU took great effort to hide their true identity beneath their animal masks, there was no way for the Inuzuka to hide the identity of their ninken, making the mask little more than a badge of office for the woman.

A snorting sneeze came from the ninken that stood at her side, the chakra mist still trying to cling to his black and gray fur. Golden eyes gazed out from his wolf like face as the ninken inspected the office, taking a long moment to look over at the far corner in distaste before sneezing again in distaste.

"You called, Lord Hokage?" Ookami asked.

"I did," Sarutobi replied, eyes still shadowed by the brim of the Hokage hat on his head. "I asked for Mukade to have both you and Inu (Dog) report to me immediately. Do you know why Inu has not answered my summons?"

"He's on a mission in Tanzaku Gai right now," she explained.

"That is unfortunate, but it is good that you and Kuromaru are available," he stated, speaking of her ninken companion. "I have need of your tracking skills in a mission of the utmost discretion. If you could, please take a seat and remove your mask so that I can explain what is going on."

Nodding at the odd request, Ookami removed her porcelain mask and clipped it to her belt, revealing the tomboyish face of Tsume Inuzuka, curiosity evident in her slitted eyes. Sarutobi waited for her to sit down, Kuromaru taking his place again at her right hand side.

"At some point during the Festival last night a young child was forced to leave the orphanage, apparently with only the clothes on his back," the Hokage explained. "I have had Matron Wamura, who is the civilian in charge of the orphanage, detained within her office pending our arrival. From there I will need you to follow the boy's trail so that we can find him, preferably before anything bad happens to him."

"What's so important about this pup?" Tsume asked. "You normally call me in if there is a nuke-nin (missing ninja) to track down."

"The child we are speaking of us none other than Naruto Uzumaki," he explained, watching as her eyes widened in shock, her slitted pupils narrowing. "You understand then the need for secrecy in this investigation. It cannot become common knowledge that Naruto is missing, not only because he is the only heir to the Uzumaki bloodline, but also because of his status as the Jinchuuriki. Our rivals would stop at almost nothing for the chance to get a hold of the young boy, if for no other reason than to mould him into a weapon aimed at our throats."

"But the pup is only five years old," Tsume snarled. "And they just kicked him out into the streets in the middle of the night at the beginning of winter? What are we waiting for?"

Behind her gruff attitude the Inuzuka Clan Head was still a caring mother, and the thought of kicking out a child that young to fend on their own brought out all those maternal instincts that she denied she had within her. She had been one of the ANBU assigned to escort the orphans to the Academy grounds during the previous year's Festival, and it was easy for her to remember the innocent joy on the young boy's face as he watched the puppet show from his seat at the Hokage's side.

Her own son Kiba was the same age as the pup, and it was not difficult for her to imagine what could go wrong if he was sent out on his own, Inuzuka or not. No, there is no way that any child that young could fend for themselves in the wilderness beyond the earthen walls of the village. Knowing what the villagers thought about the boy made it unlikely that he would have any better chance to survive inside the village either.

Tsume had just enough time to put on her ANBU mask before they all disappeared from the office in a simultaneous Shunshin, the force of their departure causing the smoke from the now forgotten incense sticks to dance once more.

* * *

Even with the dangerous line of work that many parents in Konoha had, the life of a ninja being anything but safe, there was only one actual orphanage in the entire village. Whenever a child from one of the Clans lost their parents it was common for the clan to have their own arrangements for the care and training of these children, keeping their Clan traditions strong. Therefore, most of the orphans that ended up at the orphanage were from civilian families, or came from small ninja clans that did not have the resources to be able to take care of the children themselves.

When Sarutobi arrived with Ookami at the front gates they were greeted by the sight of a large two story brick building, large windows looking out from the beige painted walls. Excited shouts echoed from a small playground off to the side where several of the children that lived there were busy playing with each other in spite of the cloudy weather.

It looked like a pleasant place to live, and the smiles on the children's faces were a sharp contrast to the severe frown that lined the Hokage's face as he walked towards the entrance of the orphanage, the ANBU and her ninken companion following close on his heels. As they approached they could hear the sound of voices approaching from within, unimpeded by the currently twin doors of the entrance.

"I'm just saying that it's not fair I have to do the Katon (fire) Jutsu every time we get trash detail," complained the voice of a young boy. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep pumping out fire like that without having it explode!"

"That's the entire reason I have you practice on garbage," responded the voice of an older man. "Being able to throw out large exploding fireballs in combat will be useless unless you have the endurance and control to last out the fight. More than one Konoha ninja has died because they ran out of Chakra in the middle of a battle and did not have other skills to back them up. Relying on Ninjutsu alone can be a fatal handicap."

"At least you weren't stuck shoveling ashes all morning," a girl's voice grumbled. "I swear, this stuff better wash out of my clothes or there will be hell to pay."

As the voices neared they finally came out into the gray morning light, revealing a Jounin instructor and a trio of young Gennin fresh out of the Academy from last year's graduating class. Walking next to the Jounin was the boy that had been complaining about holding his fire Jutsu had the familiar black eyes of an inactive Sharingan, and was wearing the familiar dark blue clothes of the Uchiha Clan. On the Jounin's other side were two glaring girls, soot covering them from the knees down, and dark smudges on their faces from where they had wiped away sweat with ash covered hands.

Upon seeing the Hokage standing outside the doors they froze at his unexpected presence, then snapped taught in a salute.

"Lord Hokage, was there something you needed of me or my team?" the Jounin asked.

"Not that I am aware of," Sarutobi answered, eyeing the exhausted Gennin. "What was your mission here at the Orphanage?"

"Standard D-Ranked garbage detail," the Jounin replied. "There was a last minute request from the Orphanage to have a large load of trash burned in their incinerator as it was full from last night."

"I see, carry on," Sarutobi instructed them.

"Yes, Lord Hokage," the man bowed before leading his students off in the direction of the assignment office.

_That's odd,_ Sarutobi thought to himself as they entered the building. _I could swear I handed out the exact same D-Ranked mission just two days ago right before the Festival._

Turning his mind back to the more pressing concern of the missing child, he led them down the wood paneled hall, Kuromaru's long nails clicking on the waxed floor. They passed several members of the orphanage staff on their way through the building, the subtle Killing Intent leaking off the outwardly calm Hokage causing them to quickly clear the way for his passage.

No doubt there wasn't a single member of staff that was unaware of the fact that the Matron had been locked inside her office on the Hokage's orders, the not so subtle presence of Mukade standing outside the closed door in full ANBU regalia warning anyone else from approaching. When the Hokage and his party came into view the other man snapped to attention, eyes facing forward behind the mask on his face.

"Has there been any trouble?" Sarutobi asked.

"None, Lord Hokage," Mukade replied. "Matron Wamura has been most cooperative, though my Kikaichu tell me she is more confident than she appears for some reason."

"Interesting," Sarutobi muttered to himself. "I will see her now. Mukade, continue to stand guard outside. Ookami, I want you and Kuromaru to join me inside, in case you can get any clues that I might miss."

"Yes, Lord Hokage," Both ANBU replied.

With a subtle hand sign, Sarutobi commanded Mukade to open the door for them, revealing the inside of the office. Books lined the right hand wall, while the left wall held several diplomas and accolades, as well as numerous framed pictures of the woman shaking hands or standing beside many of the higher ranking members of the Civilian Council. Windows looked out on the playground from behind her desk, casting the woman herself in shadow from where she sat in her chair, a subtle attempt at enforcing her will upon anyone entering the room that failed utterly in the face of the Hokage.

With a subtle flicker of a Raiton Jutsu that had taken months to perfect Sarutobi forced the overhead florescent light to turn on suddenly without even reaching out to touch the switch on the wall, ruining the shadowing effect with the sudden wash of white light. Matron Wamura flinched as the light revealed her, the pinched look around her mouth tightening when her gaze passed over the large canine that had joined them in her pristine office.

Ignoring the low chairs that sat in front of the woman's desk, Sarutobi walked past the wall full of pictures to stand in front of the window, forcing the Matron to decide whether to keep facing Ookami or turn towards where he now stood. If she wanted to play a game of control, she would soon realize she was holding the losing hand.

"Imagine my surprise when I found out that Naruto Uzumaki is no longer living in this orphanage," Sarutobi said, breaking the silence. "Would you mind telling me where the boy might be found?"

"That... boy has been deemed mature enough to live on his own," Wamura said, obviously just stopping herself from calling the child something less tasteful. "It is well within my right as the Matron to make this decision, as the Charter clearly states that a child can be allowed to leave at any point after their fifth birthday. I see no reason to have my morning disturbed by this business, and I will be filing a complaint with the Council on how heavy handed it is for you to have your ANBU lock me in my office like this."

Ookami tilted her head to the side in confusion, unable to believe the woman's stupidity.

"You have no idea what you have gotten yourself in to, do you?" the Hokage asked her, turning to look down at her in curiosity. "According to the Charter the only legal way for you to have dismissed the boy was if you had written permission from either myself, or a recognized member of his family. Surely you must be aware that ignoring this law can be considered an act of treason?"

Sweat began to bead the Matron's forehead as she seemed to visibly age before them.

"But... but the Councilor showed me the law yesterday during our meeting!" she stuttered, eyes darting for a moment to one of the pictures on her wall. "Surely the law could not have changed in that short amount of time!"

"Ah, and now we get to the heart of the matter, it seems," Sarutobi muttered, his dark eyes pinning her to her chair. "Tell me, was this Councilor from the Civilian or Clan branch of the council? Things have to be handled entirely different based upon your answer to this question."

Matron Wamura was silence for several moments, obviously trying to decide which answer would have the best chance of getting her out of trouble. Her eyes darted again to the pictures on the wall, something that she saw there causing her to visibly relax in her chair, her decision suddenly made.

"I-it was a Civilian Councilor," Matron Wamura answered.

She had falsely assumed that if it was one of the Civilian Council that told her, then her case would of course be handled by the Civilian Courts. Her 'good friend' on the Civilian Council that had shown her the law the day before was currently the presiding judge in that court, and would of course make sure that nothing stuck to her. After all, it was his idea that allowed her to free herself of the burden of the Demon Brat.

"I see, and their name?" Sarutobi asked.

"I am not at liberty to say," she quickly replied. "Confidentiality agreements and all that, I'm sure you understand."

"Not in this case, no," he shook his head. "You seem to be under the impression that any confidentiality agreements with a member of the Civilian Council is of any consequence during an investigation being held by the Clan Council. I am afraid that you, and your friend, are in a great amount of trouble."

"But the Civilian Charter clearly states-"

"Whoever said that Naruto Uzumaki fell under the Civilian Charter?" the Hokage snapped, interrupting her denials with a burst of Killing Intent that froze her breath. "Surely you must have known what the boy means to this village, the burden that he carried within him? You must have seen his file at least once during his stay here as part of your duties as the Matron here. Did you not see the papers registering him as a member of the Uzumaki Clan?"

Taking a deep breath the Hokage calmed himself, trying his best to ignore the stench of urine that now lingered in the air around the woman. Glancing at the picture on the wall that Matron Wamura had been continuously looking at, he repressed a snort upon seeing the overfed pink faced man that he recognized as being the head judge of the Civilian Courts.

Shaking his head in disappointment he left his standing place in front of the window and made his way towards the door of the office, ignoring the whimpering woman as he passed her desk. Tsume's slitted eyes peered at him from behind her Ookami mask as he neared her, barely visible through the holes in the porcelain.

"Come, Ookami," Sarutobi said. "We have a child for you to find."

"Yes, Lord Hokage," she replied, opening the door for him.

Mukade looked over as they exited the room, the subtle buzzing of his Kikaichu hive telling the Hokage that the ANBU had heard everything the woman had said through the thin door, and was less than pleased. While the Aburame was normally a very calm man, anyone showing obvious disrespect for his Hokage caused him great anger. Sarutobi would not want to be in that woman's shoes.

"Mukade, I need you to escort Wamura to Inoichi over at Torture and Interrogation," he commanded. "Let him know what you have overheard, and tell him to see to it that we get a confession from her over exactly who it was that gave her the false confidence to go against my wishes."

"Yes, Lord Hokage!" the ANBU agent responded, walking into the office and closing the door behind himself.

Moments later they heard a high pitched scream followed by the sound of air being displaced by a Shunshin.

"Do you think he used his Kikaichu Shunshin on her?" Ookami asked with a hidden smirk.

"It would at least put her in the right mood for where she is going," Sarutobi growled.

Noticing a woman in civilian garb standing nearby he recognized her as one of the orphanage staff and flagged her over. Although she was obviously nervous to be in their presence, especially after overhearing the words said there in the hallway just moments ago, the dark haired young woman did come over when asked.

"Is there something that I can do for you, Lord Hokage?" the young woman asked.

"Yes there is, miss?" the Hokage probed.

"Asami," she answered.

"Thank you, Asami," he smiled, trying to calm her down. "I need you to bring us to Naruto Uzumaki's old room. Can you do that for me?"

"Of course!" Asami responded, glancing first at Ookami, then down at the large ninken standing next to the ANBU agent. "Right this way, please?"

Following the nervous young woman down the hall they were lead to the back of the building, their path bringing them past the open door of the kitchen and the sounds and smells of lunch being prepared for the children. In the middle of that hall was a single closed door, seeming almost forgotten between the kitchen and a large bathroom at the end of the hall. Asami opened the door and stood to the side in case they needed anything else from her, allowing them to enter the room.

To their dismay the entire room was stripped bare, the windows on the far wall standing open to help air out the smell of disinfectant cleaners. It was obvious that the furniture had recently been moved, as there were spots on the waxed wooden floor where the feet of a dresser once stood to one side, with marks from where a chair had been in front of a desk against the other wall.

"I apologize, Lord Hokage," Asami said from outside the room. "Matron Wamura had the cleaning staff come in early this morning and remove everything from the room and put into the incinerator, even the clothes and pictures."

"And the furniture?" Ookami asked, watching Kuromaru wander around the empty floor trying to catch a good scent. "They even took out the furniture?"

"It was... highly unusual," Asami nodded, looking sad.

"Wait, taken to the incinerator... damn it!" Sarutobi growled. "They just completed the mission to burn everything in the incinerator before we got here. If only we were a bit quicker..."

"There was no way for us to know, Lord Hokage," Ookami said, examining the underside of the window sill. "Just because it made our job harder doesn't mean it made is impossible. Oi, Kuromaru, come here will ya?"

Looking over at his partner, the ninken swiveled his right ear at the tone on her voice, the left ear missing from a previous battle. Nails clicked on the wooden floor as he trotted the few feet to her side to see what she was looking at, watching as she pulled out one of her kunai and dug something out from beneath the wooden board of the window sill.

After a few moments of careful digging to make sure that she did not damage her find she was finally able to slip a piece of paper from where it had been carefully wedged between the boards, revealing a small and slightly worn looking photograph of a young girl. Kuromaru spent several moments sniffing at the edge of the paper to see if he could get a good scent from it before nodding to the Inuzuka.

"I think that was enough for me to recognize his scent," Kuromaru growled out in a deep chested voice.

"D-did that dog just talk?" Asami stuttered in shock, staring at the smiling face of the wolf like ninken.

"Yeah, Kuromaru here sure is awesome, isn't he?" Ookami said, smirk hidden behind her ANBU mask. "Smarter than my ex husband, that's for sure. Hey, do you recognize the girl in this picture?"

"Let me see," the younger woman asked, reaching for the picture.

Asami spent a few moments examining the picture in the light of the open window, careful to hold it by its edges to as not to disturb the evidence. Recognition spread across her face when she saw the twin buns on top of the dark haired girl's head, and the familiar trim of a qipao-style blouse.

"That looks like Tenten," she told them. "She and Naruto were good friends and always hung out together, at least until she was finally adopted. He must have missed her terribly to have hidden a picture of her like this in his room. He tended to put his bedroll beneath the window here, so this would have been close at hand while he asleep."

Nodding to himself the Hokage remembered the young girl from his visits to the orphanage over the last year. She had never been far away during those visits, almost as if she were looking out for Naruto like a big sister, making sure that the Hokage didn't do anything to hurt the boy.

"We had better get started on following the boy's trail," Ookami told him, interrupting his thoughts. "It looks like it might rain soon, and that would make it a pain in the ass to try and track the boy down."

"Very well," Sarutobi nodded. "I will return to my office and allow you to continue your search. Report to me once you are done, with or without Naruto."

"Yes, Lord Hokage," Ookami said, bowing quickly before running to catch up with her partner who had already departed the room following the faint trail left by the boy the night before.

Sarutobi took the small picture from Asami's hand and looked at it himself, recognizing the young girl in the picture from the last time he had visited the Higurashi weapons shop to get some replacement kunai. He was glad that the girl had managed to get adopted by the shop owner, as Dan Higurashi was one of the most dependable men he knew. She would be happy in her new home, and Sarutobi only wished he could say the same for young Naruto.

Taking one last look at the picture he carefully placed it within a hidden pocket in his Hokage robes, dismissing the young staff woman with a nod before returning to his office with a quick Shunshin. There was little he could do at this point but wait, and hope.

* * *

Kuromaru led the way back through the halls of the orphanage, ignoring the excited shouts from the children as seeing the big dog wander through the building. With all of the children present it would be next to impossible to catch any true trail, which was compounded by the fact that Naruto had lived here for nearly five years before getting kicked out late last night.

Their search truly began when they reached the front gates, when the ninken's keen nose found the spot that Naruto had spent some time standing in after being removed from the building, forcing Ookami to have to jog to keep up with her partner as he broke into an ambling trot, pausing here and there to make sure that they were still following the right path.

It was common knowledge among ninja that your scent trail was not some magical line drawn upon the ground as you moved, it tended to move on its own, pooling in low lying areas and spots of shade and damp. Even though the boy had not touched the gutter of that house, and had not spend any time on the porch of another, the subtle clues that Kuromaru's nose found there let them know that they were on the right path.

One of the prime skills of a tracker, other than a good ninken with a strong nose, was understanding what was going on in the mind of the person that you were following. That was why it was often so difficult to follow someone who was suffering from a mental illness or had some injury that was addling their senses.

As they passed through the heart of the village they were greeted by the sight of people cleaning up from last night's festivities, taking down decorations and sweeping debris from the cluttered main roads. Temporary shop stalls made of wood and canvas were in the process of being broken down for transport, the merchants that owned them shouting orders at the young men and women doing the back breaking work for them.

At one point one of the merchants shouted in surprise when they took a step back and tumbled over the strong back of Kuromaru, falling onto the muddy pavement with a thump that knocked the wind from their chest. Rolling back to their feet, the rotund merchant looked down at the muddy water now staining their colorful clothes, and turned to raise a fist at the ninken before seeing the porcelain mask of the ANBU staring at them.

"Ah, heh, no harm done, right?" the merchant muttered, lowering his hand and brushing the front of his clothes as if that was what he meant to do all along. "Nothing a little washing can't take care of... I'll just be, ah, over there..."

Rolling their eyes at the man's panicked retreat, the two of them continued following the missing child's trail through the village streets until their trail eventually led them to the target practice field in front of the Ninja Academy. It took several moments for the ANBU to wrack her brain to figure out why the child would have come here, when there were better places to take shelter in the alleyways they had passed by.

Sudden realization filled Ookami, bringing an unfamiliar ache to her chest when she realized that the pup must have remembered coming here during last year's festival to see the puppet show with the Hokage. He must have thought that the Hokage would be there again this year, and had gone in search of him.

"He didn't spend long here," Kuromaru muttered to her, sniffing a patch of grass that carried the boy's scent.

"No, he wouldn't have to, once he realized that Hokage wasn't here," she nodded. "Let's see if we can find out where he went next, shall we?"

Nodding, the ninken spent several moments finding the trail again, heading down some of the narrower streets that ran parallel to the heart of the village they had passed through earlier during their trek. Luckily for the child had hugged close to the walls at this part of his journey, often brushing against them and leaving a strong trail for Kuromaru to follow.

People were quick to get out of their way when they saw the ANBU trailing behind the large black ninken, giving them free passage as they followed this trail for several blocks before coming to a stop next to a small tavern. Several shards of broken pottery littered the ground here, and there was an obvious stain from cheap alcohol on the wall from where a jug hat been thrown.

"What can you tell me?" Ookami asked her partner.

"He stopped here for quite some time, perhaps several minutes, before moving on," Kuromaru muttered to her, searching the immediate area with his nose. "Judging from how the cheap drink hit the wall and ground, the boy was already on the ground when the jug was thrown. I don't smell any blood, so I doubt he was physically hurt, but the scent of despair is thick in the air here."

"This tavern is the closest place to get a cheap drink if you live near the part of town that had to get rebuilt after the Kyuubi attack," Ookami noted. "I'd be surprised if it didn't smell like despair here, especially after the festival last night reminded everyone of what they had lost."

"I never did understand the purpose of this festival," Kuromaru said, looking at her with his yellow eyes. "Why celebrate on the anniversary of a great loss?"

"Because it was a great victory as well," Ookami said, looking at one of the fox and badger banners that still hung from a nearby building. "It's a reminder that even though we did suffer great losses, our village still stands, and there is new life to be celebrated."

Shaking his head at the silly human sentiment, the ninken picked up the next scent marker, leading them away from the silent tavern towards the outskirts of the village.

A drop of water landed in Ookami's spiky hair, causing her to pause for a moment and look up at the gray clouds overhead, noticing that they had become much darker even though the hidden sun had risen well above the horizon by this point. Another drop of water joined the first, before the skies seemed to open up above them in a sudden and heavy rainfall.

"Great, wet fur," Ookami muttered to herself, looking back down at her companion. "Luckily that nose of yours isn't bothered by a bit of rain, right?"

Kuromaru huffed at her before bending his nose back to the ground, easily following the trail in spite of the weather. Wet paws splashed in the occasional growing puddle as he led her further away from the center of the village, soon nearing the large earthen walls that loomed overhead as they approached. It was looking more and more as if they would not find the boy within the village itself, but Kuromaru had not mentioned finding any other scents following their path, making it unlikely that someone had taken the child in the night.

A pair of Chuunin guards stood watch over the narrow gates that led out into the forested hills outside Konoha, one of them standing under an umbrella with a smirk on his face, ignoring the glare aimed at him from the other guard. After all, it wasn't his fault that the other man hadn't thought to grab an umbrella after looking outside and seeing the clouds there.

Ookami didn't even pause as she walked past the pair, her mask and ANBU armor all the identification she needed to pass as she followed behind her partner.

Even though she was doing a good job of hiding it, she was worried about the boy they were following. A lot could go wrong in just one night, and the forests outside the village were not the safest place to be if you were a five year old child. It had gotten bitter cold last night, the first warning that this winter was going to be an unpleasant one. For a five year old the cold would have been unbearable, especially if he didn't have proper clothes to wear, and the heavy winds last night would have stripped the heat right out of his small body.

Last month had been unusually dry, causing a heavy carpet of fallen leaves to pool in the low places of the forest, a riot of orange red and gold coloring the woods around them. Normally this would have been a boon for them in their hunt for the child, as his scent would have been blown into these low places and stuck there, trapped beneath the leaves. Unfortunately the winds last night had moved everything around, and Kuromaru was having a hard time finding out where the boy had gone.

They had just begun to despair until he caught a fresh scent on the bare bark of a tree where the boy must have leaned there, tired from the long walk. Hope renewed they searched the immediate area, ignoring how the heavy rainfall was turning the once dry leaves into a slippery morass beneath their feet.

It soon became apparent that the boy had wandered in circles for a bit at this point, leaving small clues here and there throughout the area, often crossing his own path several times. Navigating a forest could be difficult without training, and doing so at night had obviously been too much of a task for a five year old suffering in the cold.

Normally they would not have this much trouble tracking a small child through the woods, but there was one important factor working against them. Most scent trails were made by the constant fall of dead skin cells shed by the body as you move, and the scent they followed was from the natural decomposition of these cells, which were unique enough in scent for the trained ninken to match it from one spot to the next.

Unfortunately for them, the small trace of Youki that traveled through the Jinchuuriki's body caused his dead skin cells to decompose much faster than anyone else's, making it hard to find all but the best clues. By the time that they had reached the woods it had been over twelve hours since the boy had been sent away from the orphanage, and the combination of strong winds moving the leaves the night before and the heavy rain were doing their best to destroy any chance they had for finding the trail.

They had to come to a final stop in a small valley overlooked by a large tree, the entrance to a small badger sett visible part of the way up the hill. Noticing that this was the only obvious shelter in the area, Kuromaru loped over and stuck his nose inside for several moments before pulling his head back.

"I think he might have crawled in there at some point last night, but I don't smell him in there any longer," Kuromaru told her, trotting back to her side. "There are a couple of badgers inside there, but no human children that I can smell."

"Dammit," Ookami said, her shoulders slumping. "This is the first time we haven't found someone in years. Why did it have to be now, why this boy?"

Kuromaru had no answer for her question, but he did feel his own kind of guilt, having failed to find the pup. He wished there was something he could say or do to make his partner happy, but short of finding the boy he did not have any ideas.

"Let's... let's search around a bit more," Ookami said, looking around the forest. "Maybe there is something we missed."

"As you wish."

* * *

They had failed.

After several more hours spent combing the woods for any clues of the boy's presence, they had been forced to return to the Hokage's office with nothing to show for their efforts other than rain soaked fur and clothes covered in mud and leaves. When Tsume took off her ANBU mask it was obvious to see that she had been crying, the skin around her eyes puffy and red as she locked eyes with the Hokage.

She had reported all of their findings, describing every step of their search as they had followed the boy's trail through the village. She told him about the boy's visit to the Academy grounds and her suspicions that Naruto had been looking for him there before he had wandered through the back streets of the village before ending up in the forests outside Konoha. She told him how the trail had faded, unlike any other trail that they had followed before.

She told him that they had failed.

Sarutobi sighed as he sat back in his chair, fighting the tears that threatened to spill from his own eyes as the sound of rain hammering the windows filled his office. Looking out at the storm that hovered over his village, he imagined that the skies themselves were crying at their loss, before shaking himself out of his moment of depression.

Even though they had failed to find young Naruto, they had also failed to find the boy dead as well. From what he understood about the seal, the Kyuubi would have already escaped and begun rampaging again if the boy had died, so he could only assume from the lack of destruction raining down on them that Naruto was indeed alive.

Unfortunately they couldn't spare the numbers needed to fully comb the forests for the missing child, even if they could afford the attention that would bring to the fact that they had managed to lose him in the first place. They would have to keep his absence unknown for as long as possible, in the hopes that the boy would show back up before it became an issue.

A plan began to form in the Hokage's head.

They would spread the rumor that the Hokage had rented an apartment for Naruto somewhere in the village, and have some of the most trusted ANBU Henge into the child so that they could be sighted around the village. In the mean time they would keep an ear out for any rumors or sightings that would lead them to where Naruto might be.

At this point it was more important that they make sure that the boy was healthy and safe than it was to return him to the orphanage, even though it should be safe enough now that that poisonous woman was out of there and in the hands of T&amp;I. He could only imagine how horrible this experience was for the five year old child, and he hoped that this did not scar the boy for life.

Still, since the child was not only an Uzumaki, he was also the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Both factors combined meant that the child had better than even odds of surviving in the wilderness so long as at least some shelter and food could be found.

Hearing Tsume shift uncomfortably reminded him of her presence.

"Neither of you did anything wrong," Sarutobi told them. "I had a feeling that tracking him down would be difficult, which is why I chose the best tracker in all of Konoha for the task. If you were unable to find him, then nobody could."

"I... thank you for your kind words, Lord Hokage," Tsume said in a formal tone. "But it still feels like I failed you... and Naruto."

"If we hear any rumors about his whereabouts I will make sure that you are immediately informed," Sarutobi assured her. "For your efforts today you will be given pay matching an A-Ranked mission, and a few days off to spend with your children."

Blinking her tired eyes in surprise, the woman gratefully accepted this offer, having imagined her own son Kiba lost alone in the woods like that while searching for Naruto. She felt guilty leaving him in the care of his sister Hana for as long as she did, and having a few days off would allow her to make it up to her family. No doubt they would get tired of her gruff attitude after the first day, but that was also what part of being family was about.

Sarutobi suddenly laughed, breaking her from her thoughts with a puzzled frown on her face.

"I can just imagine Naruto walking through the gates a few months from now," the Hokage chuckled, "covered in sticks and mud, asking to be taken to Ichiraku's for ramen because he's hungry,"

They both knew it was hopeful thinking, but it still brought a chuckle from Tsume and Kuromaru as well.

* * *

Unknown to them, Naruto was exactly where the trail had ended, deep in the heart of the badger sett. When Hachimitsu had begun channeling her Yin chakra through him setting off the chain reaction through the roots of the chakra tree the first of many changes had taken place, causing his new scent to fool the keen nose of the highly trained ninken.

And so, young Naruto slept, not knowing how close he had come to being returned to the Hokage's side.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Naruto franchise, nor any of the other series I will be drawing inspiration from in this fanfiction. This is a work of fiction created purely for enjoyment, and no money shall be gained in its production.

**Author Note:** So, yeah, sorry it took so long for me to get another chapter out. It has been a combination of drama, moving to a new home, work being entirely too busy for a few months, and the latest World of Warcraft expansion launching. Thankfully, things are relatively settled in at the new home, work is a bit quieter after the holidays, and I have gotten a few max-level characters in WoW and don't need to worry about spending marathon hours leveling them.

Thanks again to my beta, Amedao, and for all the assistance he gives me.

I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

* * *

**BADGER**

**Chapter 07**

* * *

Naruto had slept the rest of the night and clear through most of the following day, unaware of the desperate search that had brought Tsume and Kuromaru to the very entrance of Momma Badger's sett.

As he slowly awoke that evening be became aware of a strange sensation unlike any that he had ever felt before. Something was rasping against the hair on his head, and occasionally grabbing on and pulling small sections of it, while a low rumbling sound of an odd purr echoed against the dirt walls around him. Odd as it was, it had a calm and deeply caring feel to it like he always imagined a hug was supposed to feel like.

Remembering the previous night, he wondered if meeting Momma Badger had been nothing but a dream, and blearily opened his eyes to see the faintly glowing tree roots that formed the roof of her room. While this light would have been too faint to be seen during the day outside, even with the clouds over head, deep within the earthen tunnels of Momma Badger's sett it was the only illumination to be had. Unaware that it was caused by the sudden surge of Charka that had been sent through his body while he was sleeping, he just assumed that Momma Badger lived in a magical cave.

Sudden sounds of movement drew the boy's attention away from those glowing roots to where Momma Badger was laying next to him. Huffing in irritation as the fur she had just been grooming moved on her, she eyed his head for a few moments in before noticing another patch of his short blond hair that had not seen enough of her attention yet. Bright blue eyes watched her as she gently bit down on a particularly difficult knot, a look of deep concentration on her black and white striped face as she began to worry at it with her sharp canine teeth.

Momma Badger was laying on her side on the thick bed of dry grasses that covered the floor of the sleeping chamber, ignoring such unimportant things like glowing tree roots as she paid attention to grooming the new kit she had adopted the night before. Leaning her head back she eyed the small clump of hair before reaching her paws forward to rake her sharp digging claws along it, showing impressive control by not once touching his head with the sharp tools nature had gifted her with.

Mollified by the sounds she made whenever he tried to move, the half awake child waited for what seemed to be an eternity until the job was done, leaving his hair cleaner and straighter than he ever remembered it being before, though smelling heavily of the calming musk that came off of Momma Badger. Remembering his manners, he thanked her for cleaning him, earning an odd clucking sound from her in return even though she couldn't understand his human words.

Accepting that her oddly shaped kit was as clean as she was going to get him for the time being, she began nudging his body towards the dirt tunnel that had brought them into the sleeping chamber the night before. Leaving the dim light of the glowing roots behind, he followed her gray furred back as she led him through the few short twists and turns of her small sett, the occasional glowing root peeking through the dirt walls revealing the occasional tunnel leading off into other parts of the hill that he had not noticed the night before. An insistent dove like cooing from Momma Badger kept him from giving in to his curiosity, which was followed by the sudden realization that not only was he very hungry, he also had a desperate need to go to the bathroom.

Once they reached the entrance to the sett Naruto was startled to realize that it was late in the evening, the fallen leaves outside laying flat on the ground, heavy from the recent rainfall. Momma Badger noticed the muddy paw print of a large dog on the dirt piled outside the entrance, and spent a few moments sniffing at it before deciding that whatever animal had left it there was no longer nearby before leading him the rest of the way out.

Squinting his eyes against the brighter light of the outside world, he looked up past the half barren branches of the trees to see the bright pinks and oranges of a sunset peeking out of gold trimmed holes in the clouds over head, bringing a smile to his face.

Another soft, dove like coo from Momma Badger brought his attention back to the moment, and soon enough he was following his furry host as she led him away from the short hill that held the sett. He quickly realized that leaves were much harder to walk on when wet than when they were dry, falling several times as the slippery leaves caused his feet to slide out from underneath him. Lacking four heavily clawed feet, and the low center of gravity of Momma Badger, he was forced to crouch with his arms out ready to catch himself when he fell.

A musty scent soon hit his nose, reminding him of the smell his room back at the orphanage often had due to the bathroom at the end of the hall, and they soon came across a small patch of bare dirt where several small holes had been dug. Getting closer to these holes, and the source of the scent, Naruto soon realized that this must be Momma Badger's bathroom as he saw her squat over one of the holes and do her thing.

Shrugging to himself, he dropped his threadbare pants and kneeled over one of the other holes, realizing that it wasn't much different than going to the bathroom in the squat toilets back at the orphanage. A handful of leaves did a passable job at helping clean himself up, and he felt much better afterwards.

With that taken care of, Momma Badger led him off to the bank of a small stream that ran along the opposite side of the hill, dipping her nose to take a drink. Following her example, the boy was amazed at how clean and cool this water was, and proceeded to nearly drink himself sick, his empty stomach soon complaining that it would need something more solid put into it.

It was at that point that Naruto learned how lucky he was that Momma Badger had found him the night before, as she apparently knew all the right places to go to in order to find food in the forest. Even this late in the year there was a surprising amount of things to eat available in the forest, their path following the small stream until it led to the bank of a shallow river, where several bushes offered him a handful of late season berries. After biting into one of the berries from the same bush that was a lighter shade of red he quickly learned to follow Momma Badger's example on which berries to grab, leaving the unripened ones alone.

Deciding that they had spent long enough there, she led him away from the river and deeper into the woods, bringing him to a small clearing holding a few scraggly looking trees with small green apples hanging from their branches. Fallen fruit littered the ground beneath these trees, standing out against the darker green grass that grew there.

While Momma Badger contented herself to eating the fallen fruit off the ground, worms and all, Naruto reached up his thin arms and pulled several apples directly of the tree. The sound of crunching fruit filled the clearing as they both ate, the sour taste of the hard little fruits cleaning the taste of berries from his mouth.

He was amazed at all the different things there were to eat in the forest, from mushrooms growing on the moss covered trunks of trees to hard shelled nuts that he had to break open with a rock to get in to. It seemed to him that berries and apples were only the beginning, and there was a whole new world beyond the orphanage walls filled with food just waiting to be eaten! It was an amazing feeling to finally have a full stomach, the constant companion of his gnawing hunger finally fading away as the sky slowly darkened above their heads.

Their foraging lasted well into the night, the full moon giving just enough light for Naruto to follow the gray furred back of Momma Badger as she led him all over her territory, the occasional coo guiding him when he lost sight of her in the growing darkness. On occasion she made an unusual whickering sound like a horse whinny whenever they became separated, an urgent call for him to join her side once more.

After making a final visit to one of the latrines that bordered her land, they eventually returned to the safety and comfort of her sett, and settled down for a well deserved rest.

Naruto was content in a way that he had never felt before, the warm glow of being watched over and cared for filling his heart with joy after a full day of having someone take the time and effort to make sure that he was safe, well fed, and comfortable. After the cold inattention and harsh glares he had received from most of the people he had met in the village, this was a major change for him.

He didn't care if Momma Badger was furry and couldn't talk human, she was the most awesome person in the whole world.

It was with that thought in mind that he fell asleep, spending his second night within the embrace of the roots of the Chakra tree, the warm body of Momma Badger pressing against his back calming any fears he might have had deep within the safety of her sett.

* * *

Hachimitsu had experienced walking in the minds of others before during her training under Yuudai, but there was a vast difference between the minds of adult badgers in a deep meditative state, and the uncontrolled mind of a five year old child. When the thin tendril of Yin Chakra connected her with Naruto she had been expecting to find herself drifting along calm currents of thought, navigating her way through the boy's memories like a ship sailing the sea.

She was ill prepared for what awaited her when their minds connected.

Instead of finding herself tracing along the surface of his memories, viewing them from the outside with only a small taste of the emotions attached to them, she found herself fighting against uncontrolled waves of thought and emotion that threatened to drag her under and crush her within their depths. This was the most dangerous part of the memory walk, for if you were forced to experience the full weight of another person's memories, and the raw emotion attached to those moments that truly made them who they were, it was easy to lose your own sense of self.

Hachimitsu was fortunate that she had such a strong sense of self, her own life experience and the stubborn will of a honey badger anchoring her own psyche as she weathered this storm of memory and emotion.

Hazy memories of his infancy drifted by in fragmented bursts, confusing blurs of sensation that disappeared quickly, soon forgotten again under the weight of more solid memories that began to form as his mind and body grew and slowly matured. Some memories were faded and indistinct, while others seemed intense and inescapable, burning themselves deep within her soul as she watched on helpless to stop them.

Tears leaked down her muzzle as she came to realize how hurt the child had been by the people around him, isolated from those his age by the harsh whispers of the adults, and constantly followed by cold glares wherever he went. What made these moments truly heartbreaking was that the poor boy did not even know that he was a Jinchuuriki, and that the hatred focused upon him was due to the demon fox that was lying wounded beside her within the Seal. She soon realized that the waters flooding his mindscape represented the tears he had refused to let out, hidden behind the smiling mask he showed to the rest of the world.

Unable to act on her need to hug the child and show him the love and respect that he truly deserved, the massive honey badger managed to gain some control and turned her mind to the brightest of the child's memories to console herself.

Of the few good memories that stood out, many of them focused on those rare moments when the Hokage would come by to visit, the kind eyes looking down from that aged face a shocking contrast against the glares that he normally received. It was no surprise that the young child had already decided that he wanted to become Hokage himself after seeing the respect the Old Man got from everyone in the village. The fact that being Hokage apparently meant that you could also breathe fire and make the earth shake by stomping your foot on the ground was pretty awesome too.

Another face stood out among these brighter memories, belonging to a young girl named Tenten. Ignoring the whispered 'suggestions' of the adults, the fellow orphan had become a good friend of his shortly after his third birthday, quickly becoming one of his few precious people. She could often be seen sitting beside him during meals and classes, as well as dragging him along behind herself during the occasional field trips that the orphanage took.

Following these memories Hachimitsu came across a memory of the Hokage taking the entire orphanage on a field trip to see a puppet show during one of the annual festivals. Amazement filled Hachimitsu as she relieved the memory of the puppets' reenactment of her battle against the Kyuubi, experiencing the joy and wonder that the boy felt as he watched.

Even though she was locked within the Memory Walk, her left cheek still twitched upon seeing the blow that had scarred her face, remembering the blazing pain that had made her worry that she had lost her eye. While her eye had healed enough for her to verify that she could still see out of that side, she would likely bear the scars for the rest of her life.

Happiness and sorrow blended together in the last memory the boy had of his friend on the day that she had come to tell him that she had been adopted. While the girl had been happy she was going to live with an actual family, it had obviously pained her to be leaving him behind.

Without the bright presence of his friend at his side, the world had become dark once more, those few bright moments drowned out against a sea of loneliness and pain. Bracing herself as wave upon wave of raw emotion crashed upon her in growing intensity as the unhealed emotional scars of his most recent memories played out, she was still unprepared for the sudden explosion that rocked her upon reaching the day he was kicked out of the orphanage.

Hachimitsu let out a long keening wail the likes of which she hadn't uttered since she had been a kit, the newness of his pain still fresh in his own mind overwhelming her defenses. Unseen in the dark corner of the cage, the slowing healing body of the Kyuubi twitched in its sleep, tears suddenly flowing from its closed eyes as the unprotected mind of the Bijuu relived these memories as well through the link tying it to Hachimitsu within the seal.

* * *

Although Naruto wasn't counting, nearly a month had passed since he was kicked out of the orphanage and first met Momma Badger, and the weather was getting decidedly colder. Winters in the Land of Fire were usually fairly mild, especially in comparison to the winters suffered by those in Earth or Lightning, but this season was shaping up to be one of the harsher winters in recent history.

Without the benefit of the stores and trade agreements of the village to keep them fed, Naruto and Momma Badger were forced to roam further and further from their Sett every day to find enough food to keep them fed. While the woods around Konoha were healthy enough to support the limited winter needs of a hibernating badger, the growing human child did not share this ability with her, forcing them to leave the warmth and security of their earthen home every day in search for sustenance.

Shivering as his breath created puffs of white mist in the cold air, Naruto clutched the meager covering of his tee shirt around his body in a vain effort to fight off the cold. He had taken to stuffing handfuls of leaves beneath his clothing to help keep himself warm, but even the heat generated by their walking was proving to be insufficient to keep his small frame from constantly shivering. At least Momma Badger was better off, her thick fur serving her well as she ambled along the ground in front of him in search of their daily meal.

Several times he had thought about sneaking into the village to try and find some food there, but every time he did he remembered the man he had stumbled into the night he had left there, wondering if he maybe had done something to deserve being hated by the villagers. Fear of what the villagers would do to him if he came walking in to ask for food warred with his hunger as he stumbled along behind his friend, tears brimming at the corners of his eyes causing the forest to blur for a moment before he blinked them away.

A startled yelp escaped his mouth before he could stop himself, causing Momma Badger hunker her body closer to the ground and search their area for hidden threats, her black eyes darting around as she scanned the forest surrounding them. Naruto had crouched close to the ground the moment he made the sound, imitating her own hunkered stance as he gazed over the small rise of a hill overlooking the nearby river. They had traveled for over half an hour along the shores of the same river they had drunk from on his first day, the rich soil of its flood basin giving better bounty than the higher rises of the hills themselves, before reaching this point. During the entire trip they had not run into any sign of people until now.

Sitting at the base of a hill overlooking a wide sweeping turn of the river was a small log cabin, shuttered windows looking out from beneath a wide roofed porch. Caution warred with the gnawing hunger in his belly as he stared at the building, wondering if there was any food inside. A quick look at the cobblestone chimney that climbed the side of the cabin showed that no smoke was climbing from the fireplace inside, causing the exiled child to relax a bit inside as he came to terms with this sudden invasion of the wilderness.

"What do you think, Momma Badger?" Naruto mumbled to his companion.

Her response was a series of chitters and a soft barking sound.

"Yeah, I know it might be dangerous, but there might be food inside," he told her. "There's no smoke coming from the chimney and the leaves aren't all messed up. I don't think anyone is home."

This odd back and forth was becoming more common between human child and badger as they spent their time together. Although they did not really understand what the other was saying, body language and tone was a large enough factor in communication for them to get by with most of the time, and constant practice helped ease their learning curve.

He could tell that she was nervous about the unfamiliar cabin, and worried that something there might hurt them. It had been this caution that had drawn him away from the large fenced off part of the forests earlier that week just in time to see a massive bug charge at them, only to be stopped by some kind of blue glowing wall thing. But in this case it wasn't some fence with a sign saying 'Training Ground Forty-Four', but a well kept log cabin weathered gray with age.

Eventually hunger overrode caution, the grumble of a near-empty stomach having much to do with that decision, and Naruto began creeping along the edge of the tree line towards the cabin. It would be quicker to just walk across the pale gray river rocks that spread out along the inner bend of the river, left behind during the floods in spring time, but he figured it would be safer to stick to the cover of the woods until he got closer just in case there was someone in there who wouldn't want him coming close to their home.

The leaves he had stuck under his thin t-shirt for insulation crinkled as he moved, making him wonder of maybe there were some spare clothes in the cabin be might be able to take as well. Food was of course the most important need, but it would be nice to be a bit warmer, and the single change of clothes that he was wearing were getting rather torn up, not to mention very smelly from constant use.

As he reached the edge of the clearing closest to the cabin, he crouched down behind a fallen tree for cover, idly plucking an edible mushroom from the side of the moss covered log and taking a bite. Momma Badger came ambling up beside him, taking a moment to grab some of the other mushrooms growing there for herself as he peeked out at the cabin.

There were leaves scattered along the porch pushed there by the wind, a few older leaves plastered to the wooden planks by the heavy downpour that had fallen a few days previously. This gave evidence in the boy's mind that nobody was home, as he always remembered the groundskeepers at the Orphanage going out to sweep the walkways every morning. He didn't see any signs that anyone had bothered to clean the porch there for quite some time, giving him the confidence to at least approach. If he knocked and someone answered he could just say he was lost and leave, but if nobody was home then he figured it was fair game.

"I'm going to risk it," Naruto muttered to his companion.

Putting action to words, the young boy slowly stood up from his hiding place, deciding to simply climb over the mossy log instead of walking around the long way. Leaves slid and crunched beneath his worn sandals as he walked out from between the trees and into the small clearing that could be called a yard, if one was being generous, as his feet carried him towards the cabin. As he got closer he noticed that the cabin was in better shape than it looked like from afar, the wood gray with age but smooth and solid without any major cracks. White plaster sealed where the rounded logs of the walls met, showing signs of recent repair in places where older plaster had been chipped away and replaced with new.

Three short steps led from the ground up to the porch itself, a handrail mounted on one end to one of the heavy wood posts that held up one corner of the roof of the porch, the other end mounted on a smaller post at the bottom of the stairs driven into the ground for support. Ignoring the handrail he walked up the side of the stairs closest to the wall of the cabin itself, using the skills he had practiced over the last several weeks to walk quieter by rolling his weight from the outside along the balls of his feet like Momma Badger did. After reaching the top of the steps without an incident he made his way across the porch, avoiding the dry leaves there as best he could, the wooden shutters over the windows drawing his attention as he neared the front door.

Heavy hinges ran along both sides of the window where the shutters met the window casings so that they could swing out to the sides to let the light in. Currently the shutters were closed, a metal latch holding them together in the middle, leaving the solid wood to block him from seeing inside.

It would probably be safer to knock on the front door instead of opening the shutters to look inside, or at least less suspicious he thought. Nodding to himself he walked the final distance over to the large door, taking note of the metal doorknob even as he reached a hand up to knock.

After several tense moments with no response, he knocked again, this time a bit harder than before just to be sure. Straining his ears to try any catch any sound of movement inside, his effort was met with nothing more than he sound of a breeze sweeping through the leaves and the shuffling walk of Momma Badger as she made her way up the stairs behind him.

"I don't think anyone is home," Naruto said, looking down at her as she came to a stop on the porch next to him.

Her response was a nervous chitter as she eyed the unfamiliar surroundings.

Some of the doors in the Orphanage had locks on them and wouldn't open unless you had a key, but this doorknob didn't have a hole for a key to go in, so hopefully that meant that it wasn't locked or anything like that. Steeling his nerves, the boy reached out and grabbed hold of the door knob, surprised relief filling him as it turned easily under in his grip. Darkness greeted him as the door opened, the only light he could see inside the cabin coming from the open doorway.

"Hello?" he asked, his voice echoing back at him from inside. "Is anyone there?"

Again, no response.

Several leaves followed him in as he inched his way into the house through the now open door, Momma Badger remaining behind on the porch shifting from foot to foot in nervous excitement, speaking to her kit in a constant low chitter. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness with an ease of practice, having spent so much time recently within the unlit Sett that he and Momma Badger called home, he looked around the inside of the cabin.

The chimney he had seen going up the side of the cabin as he was approaching belonged to a fireplace off to one side in a kind of living room area with a few chairs and a table in the corner under the shuttered window, but it was the kitchen on the opposite side of the cabin that drew his immediate attention. On the far wall opposite the fireplace in the living room stood an open door, light shining off of several glass jars sitting on shelves inside. Ignoring the black mass of the large wood burning stove the young boy made his way over to the pantry, a wide smile growing on his face as hope filled him.

Even with the minimal light coming from the open front door he could see that these jars were filled with all kinds of food, the thought of having such a bounty available to Momma Badger and him without having to go wandering the forest for hours on end bringing tears of joy to his eyes. Grabbing several nearby jars at random he cradled them in his arms and made his way carefully back to where Momma Badger still stood on the porch, refusing to enter the strange building.

Under better lighting he could see that one of the jars held what looked to be jam made from some kind of dark purple berries, filling it to the brim. Another jar held long thin vegetables, green beans he remembered, while the other two jars contained eggs, all floating in some kind of liquid. The jars themselves were made of clear glass, letting him easily tell what was inside, even without having to read the hand-written labels running across the front. However, the lids had some strange scribbling written on top in black ink. He couldn't read very well yet, but he knew whatever that was wasn't normal writing, but shrugged it off in favor of putting the jars down on the porch in front of Momma Badger.

Curious as to what their Kit had brought out to her, she leaned her head down and sniffed at one of the jars with her pointed snout, ducking her head back as she almost knocked it over causing it to rock back and forth for a moment on the wooden floor.

"Okay, it looks like we got eggs, eggs, green beans, and jam," Naruto told his friend. "What should we eat first?"

Examining the jars with a suspicious look in her eyes, Momma Badger gave out another chitter and pawed at one of the jars with eggs in it, that at least looking familiar enough for her.

"Eggs it is," he said with a smile.

After a few moments of strain, and an embarrassed glance at the nonplussed look on the badger's face, he finally got the lid opened with a faint pop of displaced air. Unseen in the daylight streaming down on the cabin the Fuuinjutsu seals drawn on the lid flashed with chakra before dispelling, the matrix broken when the jar was opened.

Both badger and boy spent the next several minutes enjoying this unexpected bounty, Momma Badger pinning the pickled eggs between her front claws and biting into them with gusto, while Naruto tried his best to fit an entire egg into his mouth and chew it all in one go with varied levels of success. After they had eaten their fill they went down to the river to grab a drink of water before returning to the cabin.

Emboldened by his first success, Naruto went back into the cabin to see if there were any clothes as well, now that he knew that there was plenty of food for the taking. Noticing a wooden ladder leading up from the living room towards the peaked ceiling, Naruto climbed up as best he could taking one rung at a time. When he reached the top he saw what looked kind of like a bedroom cut in half by a curtain, bed rolls sitting in the corners of either side, and a pair of dressers against the far wall.

Spotting these dressers, Naruto grinned to himself, hoisting his body the rest of the way up the ladder so that he could set his feet on the floor of the loft. Deciding to go to the right half first he walked over to the dresser and opened up one of the drawers at random, a grin on his face. Said grin immediately dropped when he saw that while there were clothes in the dresser, they were way too big for him.

Sighing in disappointment, he closed the drawer and scuffed his worn out sandal on the wooden floor before remembering that there was another dresser on the other side of the curtain.

With a thunder of footsteps on the wooden floor of the loft Naruto made his way around the curtain to the other side, stopping in front of the other dresser. With another smile he slid open one of the drawers, and shouted in excitement when he saw that there were clothes that looked like his size!

Momma Badger's voice echoed up from below with a worried chitter, causing Naruto to shout down that he was okay. Her response was a half-hearted huff, which he took to mean she only half believed him, since she still couldn't see him.

Within the first dresser drawer he had opened there were several pairs of gray pants made of a smooth but durable looking cloth. They were definitely thicker than the civilian clothes he had been given by the Orphanage, and the seams were stitched a couple of times to make them stronger. Hands recently cleaned in the river, Naruto reverently picked up a pair of these pants, tears coming to his face when he thought about wearing actual clean, warm clothes.

This was the best... day... ever!

Dropping the pair of pants he had grabbed on to the floor, he closed the first drawer so that he could open up the one beneath it, revealing several odd shirts folded up on one side, and a couple of short sleeved jackets on the other. Shaped just like the torn up tee shirt he was already wearing, these shirts were made of a type of black net material with a inch wide trim of green cloth along the neck, as well as the ends of the sleeves and bottom hem.

Shrugging at the odd shirts, he dropped one of them on top of the pair of pants, along with one of the short sleeved jackets, before closing that drawer. Opening the final drawer revealed several pair of underwear and socks, as well as a scuffed up but serviceable pair of ninja sandals that looked like they might be just a little too big for his feet yet.

Making a quick decision to clean himself in the river real quick before putting on his nice clean clothes, remembering that lesson from the last time the Matron had been forced to give him a new set of clothes when he had outgrown the past, he carried his new outfit to the edge of the loft floor, dropping it onto the floor of the living room below with a satisfying thump sound. A few stressful moments of navigating the top of the ladder again, and discovering that climbing down was much harder than climbing up, he reached the bottom floor to find Momma Badger inspecting the new clothes with a curious snout.

"Look, Momma Badger," he said with pride, "new clothes!"

Understanding him to mean a new set of not-fur coverings, the badger made a satisfied churr sound. After all, these ones did not smell nearly as bad as the ones he was currently wearing, and they would carry the scent of their Sett soon enough.

* * *

Later that night a clean, freshly clothed, and well fed Naruto fell asleep again beneath the faintly glowing roots of the Chakra Tree, looking for all the world like the bastard child of a Nara and a Yamanaka. Nestled safely within one of the branches off the main tunnel of the Sett they had stored as many jars of food that they could carry, using a pair of pants from the big clothes tied off at the ankles to help Naruto carry the containers in.

With this bounty, they need not worry about starving this winter, and the new clothes had proven to be even better than they looked. Unseen within the hems of the clothes Fuuinjutsu seals helped keep his body at a comfortable temperature, and wick excess water from his skin, as only the clothes of a Clan Heir could be expected to have.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Naruto franchise, nor any of the other series I will be drawing inspiration from in this fanfiction. This is a work of fiction created purely for enjoyment, and no money shall be gained in its production.

**Author Note:** Naruto is now fed and clothed, and now has Momma Badger there to watch over him.

Thanks to the support of my beta, Amedao, we have managed to get another chapter out there for those who are enjoying the story so far. This one ended up being quite a bit longer than I originally anticipated, but I hope you all like it.

**Warning:** This is a story about Ninja, and therefore will involve violence. I try not to get excessively graphic, but be aware that there is a bit of blood and gore in this chapter.

**EDIT:** 02/15/2015, replaced Kinjutsu (forbidden technique) with Kenjutsu (sword technique)... thanks to TheWiseDragon for pointing out this typo.

* * *

**BADGER**

**Chapter 08**

* * *

"That looks like a hell of a lot more than 'three dozen' bandits down there, Hayate," seventeen year old Anko Mitarashi muttered to her companion.

"Okay, so the intel was a little bit off, sure," Hayate Gekko replied, only to receive a quick elbow to the short ribs. "Okay, fine... the intel sucked... happy now?"

"Not really," Anko muttered.

With Konoha's forces still struggling to recover their numbers after the Kyuubi's attack, what limited ninja they did have in supply were often overworked and spread thin due to the wants and needs of supply and demand. With the bulk of the village's economy funded by their missions, the only way that they could afford to increase their numbers was by shouldering the burden of this increased workload.

When the assignment office received a request from a minor noble in the south eastern corner near the border with the Land of Sea, the assignment office took a quick glance at the numbers reported by their intelligence network and decided that two Chuunin ranked nin would be more than sufficient to take out a small camp of those numbers, leaving Konoha with a Jounin to spare for other more pressing missions.

At first Anko had been less than thrilled to be sent out on a C-Ranked mission with her sole backup a man she had fought against in the Forest of Death during their Chuunin Exams. She was consoled by the fact that at least he had been a good challenge, as both of their Gennin teams had passed that portion of the exams in spite of what happened in the forest. Of all the Chuunin to be assigned with, at least he was one of the more competent ninja that could have been chosen.

From their hidden vantage point nestled in the branches near the top of a large evergreen tree both Konoha nin looked down on the sprawl of canvas tents and lean-tos that had apparently grown since the latest intelligence report came in from the region. Even if each tent only held one man, they were still likely looking at close to a hundred bandits in desperate need of death by Ninja.

To make matters worse, this group looked a lot more organized than most bandit camps, even going so far as to have a latrine pit dug downriver of their camp.

"I'm guessing that there has to be at least one person down there with enough brains to organize things, and enough power to keep this group of knuckleheads in line," Hayate observed.

"Or very deep pockets," Anko agreed. "My bet would be all of the above, honestly. Do you see that wagon of supplies over there next to the cooking tent? Look at how the crates are stacked and secured, that's not the work of some group of looters making off with a good haul, it had to have been loaded by professionals."

"You're right," Hayate agreed, eyes narrowing.

An uncomfortable silence stretched between the two as the sun began to slowly set in the distance.

Konoha's reputation amongst the Elemental Nations had taken a major hit from the Kyuubi attack, having lost not only a great number of veteran ninja, but also the Fourth Hokage, the legendary Yellow Flash. Regardless of any reservations the Chuunin now held about their mission they couldn't leave the job undone, and calling for reinforcements because the intel had been bad would cause more damage to the reputation of their village than their glorious deaths. Not to mention that the lack of available Ninja to call upon was what caused two Chuunin to be assigned to this mission in the first place.

Anko reached a hand up to a crude bone pendant that hung from her neck, the tips of her fingers tracing the familiar rough etching of a badger she had carved on its surface. Her lips moved as she spoke silently to the wind, promising a handful of roasted peanuts to the first badger she met if she got back to Konoha in one piece.

It had been just over a year since she had overheard the Toad Sannin speaking of the great Hachimitsu, finally finding a light in the darkness that had fallen upon her when Orochimaru had betrayed the Village, betrayed her. Where once her sleep was haunted by nightmares of Orochimaru and his sick experiments, now she dreamed of twisting tunnels beneath bountiful orchards, watched over by the Badgers that protected her against the snakes that wished to poison her mind.

When the Evil Suppression seal had been placed on her neck its ability to block the effects of the Cursed Seal on her neck was only as strong as her own willpower. Left alone and betrayed, ostracized by the very villagers she had sworn to protect as a Ninja of Konoha, it would have been nearly impossible for her to fight off the effects of the Seal of Heaven that Orochimaru had branded her with.

But now she had found that guiding light, and had been amazed by the subtle looks of respect and recognition she received from some of the villagers when they saw the pendant she now wore. Although it was not a religion, or even a cult, there was a bond of familiarity amongst those who called upon the Guardian Spirit of the Great Badger.

"We will have to play to our strengths," Anko muttered. "Every bandit we kill at a distance will be one less we have to worry about getting close enough to get a hit in on one of us."

"I agree," Hayate nodded. "I'm best with close quarters combat with my sword, and we both know you're better with ranged weapons than I am."

"You're not just saying that to keep pretty little O' me from getting hurt by these big, burly men, are you?" Anko joked.

"Ha, ha," Hayate deadpanned."Seriously, you know you're not my type."

"Whatever, sword boy," Anko said with a grin. "You're right though, I've seen your aim with a kunai, and I have no idea why you even carry them with you for all the good it does you. Give me all the kunai and shuriken you've got on you, and I'll make good use of them while you get in there and distract them. I'll join you when I run out, and we'll count heads when we're done to see who got the most. Loser buys the winner drinks when we get back."

"No deal, I've seen how much you can drink, Mitarashi," Hayate replied, un-strapping the kunai holster from his right thigh and passing it over to her.

"Spoilsport," she snorted, accepting the bundle and strapping it to her left thigh, her own holster already occupying her right leg. "What say we attack right at twilight, just after the sun sets?"

"That should work," Hayate nodded.

* * *

Jiraiya of the Sannin sat in a private room in a tea house just off the coast of Mizumi, the sea that acted as the natural southern border of the Land of Fire. A small scattering of loose papers and small scrolls cluttered the surface of the low table, leaving just enough room for his tea service to one side.

While many thought that his travels had more to do with drunken flirting and 'research' for his erotic novels, though he couldn't deny he did that too, a bare handful of people in the Elemental Nations knew that he was the backbone of Konoha's information network. Through a vast collection of informants, double-blind drop-offs, and various other methods, the Toad summoner wandered the lands gathering the miscellaneous bits and pieces of information that were critical to sustaining a nation built upon Ninja.

It was more than just luck that most of these meeting places could be found within a stone's throw of a hot spring filled with naked women.

Over the years this network had been built and refined so that the information he was able to supply was not only concise, but accurate. However, nobody was perfect, and it was an unfortunate fact that sometimes a fact or two went unobserved by one of his informants, and remained uncorrected until more information came from another source.

Such it was that he was currently digesting more than tea and cakes as a heavily creased paper hung loosely from his hands.

"Well shit," he muttered to himself, shoulders slumping. "This changes things a bit."

Curious about the recent increase of bandit activity in the region, he had traveled to the coast to build up his network a bit more in the region, and hopefully get a better idea of what was causing the bandits to grow in numbers so quickly.

Originally he had thought that it was due to some new self- crowned 'Bandit King' running the show, as those tended to crop up every few years. Which was stupid, really, when you took into account the fact that the Elemental Nations were nothing less than a military dictatorship, a diarchy between the Daimyo of the country and the Kage of the local hidden village. Between the Daimyo's well trained Samurai, and the sheer reckless danger of the Kage's Ninja, it was nothing less than suicide to paint that big of a target on yourself.

Unless, of course, you happened to be a highly influential owner and CEO of a large shipping company, whose monetary resources alone gained you the bent ear of many of those wealthy citizens who helped fund the Daimyo and Kage's military strength. Such was the case with Gato of Gato Shipping, who was one of the slimiest excuses for a human being since Orochimaru himself.

Gato had apparently realized that hiring large numbers of cannon fodder was cheaper than hiring mercenaries from the Elemental Nations forces. Another likely perk was that there were less questions asked by your enforcers when you were asking them to do something that they would have done on their own anyways. After all, beating up civilians and taking their property and livelihood was just what bandits did, right?

According to the report he was holding in his hands, one of the local lords had requested a mission to clear out one of these groups of bandits who had set up camp in the nobles own 'grown reserve' forest. When the mission had originally drawn up the number of bandits had been estimated at around two or three dozen, which was more than enough threat to concern the local militia force, but of little true danger to even the freshest of Chuunin.

Unfortunately, this information was no longer correct, as the bandit group had apparently been contacted by representatives of Gato Shipping shortly after the mission had been sent by courier to Konoha. With a source of not only money but supplies as well, the camp had quickly grown, with word of mouth spreading in the dark corners of the seediest bars and brothels in the surrounding area.

Now three to four times larger than it had been originally, the sheer size of the camp would now be considered a B-Ranked mission, requiring at least one experienced Jounin. He could only hope that they were lucky and no Nuke-Nin (Missing Ninja) had shown up out of avarice or sheer boredom.

* * *

Their initial assault on the bandit camp had gone quite well, with many of the bandits caught out in the open sharing bottles of alcohol around their campfires, their dinner still resting heavy in their bellies. When Hayate had reached his position at the edge of the camp Anko had started the attack with a volley of Kunai that fell from the darkening sky like rain, taking a heavy toll on the group closest to her fellow nin.

Quickly realizing that they were under attack, the bandits grabbed their weapons and made ready for battle, their shouts of alarm waking the rest of the camp around them. Confused shouts echoed throughout the camp as news spread, which were soon followed by panicked yells when a fiery explosion erupted on the far side of the camp, thanks to an explosive tag Anko had tied on one of her kunai.

Taking advantage of their distraction, Hayate moved into the camp itself, making use of his chameleon Genjutsu to blend in with the confusing blur of shapes and shadows left behind the milling bodies in the firelight. One by one bandits began to fall to his sword, causing those nearby to shout that there was a demon in their midst as they watched their fellow bandits fall to an invisible blade.

Hayate was doing a good job sowing chaos and death among the bandits, but soon enough he would have to drop his Genjutsu or risk running out of Chakra and passing out in the middle of the fight. Watching from her vantage point in a nearby tree, Anko continued her ranged assault, ready to jump into the melee the moment he became visible.

Noticing how low she was getting on kunai she switched over to her shuriken, making sure to keep two spare kunai on hand for when she needed to join in the fray. Spotting a pair of bandits trying to sneak away from the camp with sacks slung over their shoulders she threw a pair of shuriken with deadly accuracy, striking each of them in the neck.

Horrible as he was, that snake bastard Orochimaru had done a good job training her when he bothered to take the time, and bandits were a lot easier to hit than Ninja.

Spotting Hayate's chameleon Genjutsu collapse with a wavering blur of color and light, she adjusted her feet on the sturdy branch she had been perched on and gathered chakra in her legs and feet. With a burst of Chakra-smoke she appeared several feet to the swordsman's left side, her hand flashing out with a kunai and catching a bandit across the eyes. Reversing her strike, she quickly stabbed the tip of the kunai in the man's neck to silence him, twisting the knife as she pulled it out to help free her blade and ensure it would be a killing blow.

Her quick movement caused her tan trench coat to flare open, revealing her chest to the other bandit standing in front of her. His eyes widened as he noticed that her breasts were only covered by a net shirt, leaving nothing to the imagination, which was exactly the reason she dressed like that. With his arms raised up with a crude axe in his hands, his armpits were completely unprotected, allowing her to make a few quick stabs un the vulnerable area beneath the arms, severing nerves and veins alike.

Knowing that he would not be able to attack with both of his arms out of commission, she left the screaming man to collapse to the ground, the dirt already turning to mud from all the blood that had been spilled that night.

Looking over the camp she noticed several clusters of bandits who were standing together for protection from their attack. With Hayate revealed now that his Genjutsu had dropped, and their men no longer being taken out by Anko's ranged attacks, the bandits were visibly regaining their courage, and were now gathering in small groups for strength in numbers. Doing a quick count, she judged that there were only about one and a half, maybe two dozen bandits remaining.

"Should we stick together or split up," Anko muttered to her fellow Ninja.

"We would be safer if we stuck together," Hayate replied, eyeing the surviving bandits. "But that would risk some of the bandits fleeing into the night if we both focused on one group."

"Agreed," Anko said, narrowing her eyes. "How about we both sweep along the sides, and meet in the middle?"

"That could work," Hayate said with a grin.

Eyeing the remaining bandits Anko sized up her targets, noticing a group of four bandits standing in a loose half- circle with their backs to a small campfire, weapons in hand and murder in their eyes. She recognized these kind of men, the kind that thought nothing of taking what they wanted, be it food, money, or even women.

It was likely that those men who had survived this long had more experience in battle than those who had already fallen. They definitely had better gear than most of the dead bodies littering the camp, and from the familiar way they held their weapons told her that they hadn't just picked up whatever was lying around.

There were three small groups of bandits on Hayate's side of the camp, but none of them looked as dangerous as the four men on her side, let alone the armored man. It was likely that Hayate's Kenjutsu would take them out with relative ease, allowing them to take the leader together.

Deciding that it would be best to take out the four bandits closest to her before joining Hayate in taking out the stragglers, she adjusted her grip on the kunai she was holding in her right hand, wishing she had something with a bit more reach.

On the far side of the camp a fire had been knocked over by a dead body, causing a few burning logs to hit the side of one of the canvas tents. From there the fires had begun to spread during the fight, making both Ninja glad that it had been a particularly wet winter down south. At that moment the fires had reached a barrel of lamp oil, causing a weak fireball to explode into the night air.

On this signal, the two Konoha Ninja broke from each other, bloody mud splashing up from the ground as their sandaled feet carried them towards their targets.

Taking a quick glance at the area around the bandits, Anko spotted a round log sitting on its end that someone had probably used as a chair around ten feet off to the bandit's right, giving her an idea. Reaching her left hand behind her back to the weapon pouch strapped to the back of her belt, she pulled out her last three shuriken, sparing a brief thought to be impressed that the men she was charging didn't loosen their defense at the sight of her bared breast as her coat was pulled to the side.

Being more of a weapons specialist, Anko Mitarashi did not have a large number of attack Jutsu in her arsenal. Most of the Jutsu Orochimaru had taught her were based upon the Snake Summon Contract, which she had sworn off using the night of the festival a year before. Without a dedicated Jounin instructor to teach her, and being shunned by many of the Ninja in the village due to her association with the traitorous Snake Sannin, she hadn't had much chance to pick up any new skills, having to rely on refining what tools she already had at her disposal.

While another Ninja might have opened the fight with a ranged Jutsu like a fireball or rock spikes erupting from the ground, she fell back on the Academy basics.

When the bandits saw her running towards them with seeming reckless abandon they prepared to strike her down in a well coordinated flurry of steel, as they had many people before her. What they did not expect was for her to swap herself out with the log she had spotted just moments ago, their blades getting stuck for a brief moment in the soft coastal wood.

From her position off to their side where the log had been sitting she threw her last three shuriken at the startled bandits. One of the men was hit in the upper arm, which was hardly a killing blow, but would help slow him down on the attack. Her other two shuriken fared better though, hitting a second bandit in the face, causing him to fall back in a gurgling scream as one of them lodged halfway into his nasal cavity, the second cutting across his cheek and taking out an eye.

Shouting in surprise, the two unwounded bandits freed their weapons from the log, wielding an axe and a sword respectively, while the third man struggled to free his spiked club, unable to effectively use both arms due to the weapon embedded in his bicep.

"You're going to pay for attacking us, little girl," the axe- wielding bandit said, a wicked grin passing over his scruffy bearded face. "If you're lucky, you might just live long enough to regret it."

Anko's pupil-less tan eyes narrowed at what the man had just suggested, her bone badger-pendant seeming to grow heavy in warm around her neck as a low growl started to rumble from somewhere deep within her chest. Sensing a dangerous change in her attitude, the bandit's grin quickly faded, replaced with the hardened gaze of an experienced fighter.

Refusing to leave the third surviving bandit behind as he struggled to regain possession of his spiked club, the two bandits stood at the ready, forcing her to make the first move. Her eyes darted over to that third bandit, noticing that he was just about to free his weapon and re-join the fight, and a wicked idea came into her mind.

Reaching into a coat pocket, she started running towards the two bandits as they prepared for her attack, pulling out a small smoke pellet she had been saving for a rainy day. Most Ninja did not actually use smoke pellets, finding it cheaper and easier to simply use a burst of Chakra-smoke to hide their movements, which was a by-product of wasteful Chakra usage during a lot of Jutsu in the first place.

Having just experienced her use the Kawarimi to escape their last attack, they were ready for when she went to make the same move again, preparing themselves to attack her when she finished swapping herself out. It was that preparation that she was betting on when she made a few one-handed Jutsu with the hand holding the smoke pellet, finishing her technique and dropping the smoke pellet to the ground to fake the replacement Jutsu.

What both bandits saw next was her replacing herself with the bandit who had just freed his weapon from the log it had been stuck in, taking his place and grabbing his weapon for her own at the same time. Swinging their weapons with a sound of joyful vengeance they struck her down with all their strength, the axe taking her at the corner of the neck and finally stopping halfway into her chest, while the sword flashed out and cut her across the stomach, spilling her insides.

A flash of movement came from within the cloud of smoke left behind when the bandits had turned to attack, a bloody hand holding a kunai reaching out and cutting the sword-wielding bandit across the neck in one swift movement. Noticing his fellow bandit falling to the ground clutching his throat, the axe-wielding bandit failed to react in time as the same kunai flashed out of the smoke again and cut him across the tendons on the back of his knees.

Falling heavy on the ground the bandit caught himself on his hands, his axe falling to the side just out of his reach, bringing him face to face with the body of the person he had killed just in time for the Genjutsu to fade away, revealing the club-wielding bandit that had been there the entire time.

"That was my half-brother, you bitch," the bandit growled at her, teeth bared in pain.

"Oh, look," Anko drawled without a single ounce of sympathy, the man's own axe in her hands. "You lived long enough to regret it."

With the speed born of years of training as a Ninja, she swung the axe down in a controlled arc, removing the last bandit's head from his shoulders.

Taking a deep breath, Anko calmed her nerves, wincing as she realized how much chakra the Genjutsu had taken out of her. While the Henge was so easy to use they taught it in the Academy to children that weren't even Gennin yet, there was a vast difference between extending your chakra outside your body to change your appearance, and forcing your chakra to surround someone else.

Dropping the bloody axe on the ground next to the headless bandit, Anko pulled her Kunai back out of her coat pocket where she had put it after cutting the man's tendons, and looked over to see Hayate taking care of the last few bandits on his side of the camp. Seeing that he had things under control, she checked to make sure that she hadn't missed any bandits on her side, taking a moment to bend down and cut the throat of a man who had only been knocked unconscious by another bandit in the initial panic.

Glancing back at the bandit she had killed with his own axe, she wondered if he had been the leader of the camp, and if he had a bounty on his head. Explosive tags weren't cheap on a Chuunin's salary, and the one tag she had used during the initial attack on the camp had been the only one she could afford after paying for her loving expenses.

She was just starting to reach for her bingo book when she heard a shout of surprise come from Hayate on the other side of the camp.

Snapping her head around she quickly spotted Hayate on the other side of the camp, where the young man stood facing off against two other swordsman she hadn't seen before. Wielding their swords on opposite hands, the two newcomers moved as one, pressing their attack against the furiously defending Konoha Ninja. Firelight flashing off the pale steel of Hitai-ate drove home the fact that these were no common bandits, but a pair of enemy Ninja, which had definitely not been in the mission description.

There were a number of reasons for them to be there, and though it was possible that they had merely been passing through, the bandit camp was not near any of the main travel routes through the area. Either they had been hired separately to take out the bandit camp, and had hung back long enough to let the two Konoha nin do all the dirty work, or they had been part of the camp itself and had just returned to find their camp under attack.

Either way, what really mattered was that they were there, and Hayate looked like he could use her help against them.

Sparing a glance for the heavy axe laying on the ground nearby, she decided that it would be better to stick with a more familiar weapon when going up against enemy Ninja, readjusting the grip on her Kunai as she started making her way across the camp. Thankful for the light from the burning tents on the far side of the camp she started making her way towards the fight, being careful of her step to make sure she didn't slip on anything.

As she got closer to the fight, she noticed that the symbols on their Hitai-ate were scratched out, showing that they were Nuke-nin who had abandoned their village. Behind the deep gouges in the metal plates, four wavy diagonal lines showed the symbol of Hidden Mist Village, which was in the Land of Water off the eastern coast. Since Water was in the middle of a long and bloody civil war, it wasn't too uncommon to see the occasional Mist Nuke-nin in the region, but it was odd that they would have traveled this far in-land from the coast.

Wither by fate or pure luck, a bright flash of lightning lit the skies above the forest, allowing Anko to spot the polished gleam of a sword out of the corner of her eye. Reflexes gained from years of training and paranoia allowed her to replace herself with the body of a nearby bandit just in time to see it cut in two in a shower of blood.

Light from the burning fires revealed a man standing next to the tent she had been walking past, his eyes gleaming with madness as he took a step out into the light. He was a pale- skinned man wearing a pair of baggy gray pants held tight to his lower legs with bandages, his scratched out Mist Hitai-ate acting as a belt buckle. Blood was splattered over his entire right side from the body he had cut in two, slowly beading up and running down his shirtless torso in the damp coastal air.

Held in his right hand was one of the nastiest pieces of forged steel that Anko had seen in her entire life, a wide katana made of polished steel with saw-like teeth cut out along its edge, bits of bone and flesh stuck between them from the attack she had barely managed to avoid. Common sense would prevent anyone wielding a weapon like that in combat, as it was just asking to get the teeth caught on a bit of cloth or bone and get yanked right out of your hand mid-strike.

Judging the two halves of the body he had just stepped between, he didn't have an issue with that.

Wishing again that she had something more substantial in her hand than her well-used Kunai, Anko shifted into a more defensive stance as the man started towards her, cursing the fact that she had used so much of her Chakra reserves earlier. Lightning flashed again, the thunder following it much sooner, warning that the storm was getting closer.

"Say goodbye to life, and say hello to Klaus," the man said with a manic grin, following his words with a quick controlled rushing attack.

Cursing at how fast the man moved on his feet, Anko leapt away from the attack, her sandaled feet bringing her to a sliding halt ten feet away from him. At this point, she wasn't sure if she wouldn't rather swap places with Hayate, as the two Nuke- nin he was going against at least seemed sane from a distance.

"Say goodbye to life, and say hello to Klaus!"

Anko ducked under the wide sweeping blow, hoping to stick her Kunai in his exposed side, only to be forced to bring her Kunai down to block a vicious reverse strike. Half-way through his one-handed swing he had let go of his sword with his right hand, and caught it with his left to get in that second strike, before switching it back into his right hand as she landed.

Using her experience fighting both with and against Hayate, who was recognized as something of a Kenjutsu prodigy in Konoha, she kept herself moving in a constant effort to stay out of range of his sword. Her hand was still slightly numb from that first strike, and she had no intention to try that trick again if she could help it. It had been a struggle to keep her grip when their blades met, and the extra reach given to him by three feet of steel gave him a rather unfair advantage.

It was well known that those Ninja who lived long enough tended to become a little odd, Guy Maito's obsession with green spandex and 'youth' a prime Konoha example, but this Klaus fellow took things a bit far. His attacks had no discernable pattern and he had completely ignored several chances to take out Hayate as her comrade took on the other two Nuke-nin, focusing entirely on her.

Desperate for anything that would give her an advantage against Klaus, Anko spared more of her fading Chakra to Kawarimi with another dead bandit, taking the next brief moment to search the immediate area for anything of use. Trying her best to ignore the wet tearing sound as yet another body was cut in two with his saw tooth sword, she made a silent promise to sacrifice a second handful of peanuts to the first badger she found if she was able to get back to Konoha in one piece.

Spotting a nearby pony keg of lamp oil, a wicked grin spread across her face, something like a plan forming in her head as she memorized its placement.

"Say goodbye to life, and say hello to KLAUS!"

"What does that even mean?!" Anko snapped back at him.

Stumbling back from another flurry of blows she cursed quietly to herself when she noticed that he wasn't slowing down at all, despite the fact that blood was now actively dripping from his hair into his eyes and he didn't even seem to notice when anyone else would have been blinded. Doing her best to keep a safe distance between her and that wicked blade she continued to dodge and weave, slowly making her way towards a large bonfire nearby. It wasn't hard to act as if she was getting tired, her reflexes just a bit more sluggish as she lost ground to his relentless attack.

Soon enough the crackling roar of the bonfire was louder than the moans of the few remaining wounded bandits who had not yet died, the blazing heat uncomfortable on her sweat covered back as she drew near. Keeping as much of her attention on her opponent as possible she circled around the fire, keeping it on her left side to that the wide strikes of his sword swept dangerously close to the angled stack of burning wood.

She had to time this just right if her plan was going to succeed.

Anko faked a stumble towards the bonfire, noting the tense of his muscles in the bright light of the flames as he prepared a powerful strike to take her out. At the last moment she cast her final Kawarimi, coming dangerously close to Chakra exhaustion as the world seemed to spin around her, the wooden keg of lamp oil taking her place just as his blade nicked her in the arm.

Screams filled the air as the pony keg did the exact same thing the dead bandits had done when their bodies met his blade, its contents splashing over his entire body in a wave of sticky oil before quickly bursting into flame as the explosion of oil met the bonfire.

Apparently nobody had told Klaus not to try breathing flames, as his screams quickly grew faint and raspy before eventually fading into an eerie silence covered by the crackle and pop as his body continued to burn. Even as hardened as Anko was after her training under Orochimaru she felt ill as she watched his body continue to stumble in her direction for several long agonizing moments, sword pointed at her in accusation before he finally fell to the ground to move no more.

Clashing steel brought her back into the moment, reminding her that she wasn't alone. Her tan eyes darted over to the continuing sounds of combat as she spotted Hayate still caught in a desperate defensive battle against the other two Nuke-nin. Looking down at the bent and now utterly useless Kunai in her hand, then back to the two enemy ninja still standing, she spared a moment to look over at the still burning body of Klaus.

Or, more accurately, to the still perfectly sound sword now laying where it had rolled away from his hand when he had fallen.

Spotting a nearby barrel with a wooden ladle hanging from the side on a thin rope, she walked over and looked to find it a little over two thirds full of water. Dropping the useless Kunai on the muddy ground she reached down and grabbed on to the rim of the barrel, grunting as she overturned it in the direction of Klaus' still burning body.

Steam filled the chill night air as the water hit the body of the dead Nuke-nin, the burning lamp oil guttering as it was carried towards the nearby bonfire before it burst back into flame on top of the water as it ran out and began to pool. Raising the left sleeve of her coat to cover her nose from the horrible smell she made her way over to where the sword lay in a small puddle of water. Doing her best to ignore the bits of bandit stuck in the teeth of the blade, she bent down and picked the weapon up in her right hand, taking a quick moment to test its weight in her hand.

It was heavier than she had assumed from the way he had been swinging it around during their fight, causing her to take a closer look at how it was built. The spine of the blade was much thicker than on any blade she had seen before, nearly two thirds the width of a normal katana, before it thinned down into the saw blade teeth. It was that extra mass of the weighted spine of the sword that had given the power needed to cut through those bodies, and eventually the barrel of oil that had ended his life.

While it was heavier than she normally preferred her weapons, she decided that it would work perfectly fine for her current needs, her teeth bared in an almost feral grin as she made her way in Hayate's direction.

Thunder echoed against the ring of steel as Hayate continued to weave an intricate defensive dance against the continued attack of the two remaining Nuke-nin. If he had been fresh she doubted he would have found much challenge in them, but they had the advantage of attacking him after he had spent most of his Chakra and energy taking on the bandit camp with his Chameleon Genjutsu active.

At this point the fight had moved so that Anko was coming from behind the two Ninja, allowing her to approach unseen. Bouncing the unfamiliar weight of the sword a few times as she got closer, she caught Hayate's eye and nodded towards the Nuke-nin closest to her, grinning at the shocked glance he spared at the wicked looking blade in her hand.

Seeing a flash of lightning in the sky, she switched to a traditional two-handed grip on the sword, counting in her head as she waited for the coming thunder to hide the sound of her movement. Leaping into the air she closed the final distance between her and her chosen prey, the rumbling in the air hiding the slap of sandaled on wet ground as her legs propelled her into the air.

Aiming for the sweet spot where neck and shoulder met, her surprise attack was almost foiled when the ninja caught the reflection of the sword on Hayate's Hitai-ate. For just the briefest of moments the man must have mistaken her for Klaus, the familiar swinging arc of the rather unusual blade catching their eye before they realized whose arm now wielded it. Their shout of warning came a moment too late as the weight of her flying body drove the teeth of the sword deep into her enemy's flesh, cutting a deep rending tear in their shoulder before skipping along their shoulder blade.

As she suspected, the saw blade teeth on the strange sword eventually caught against bone, the blood and oil on the handle of the blade causing it to slip out of her hands even as she crashed into the back of the dying man, driving both of them down to the ground. A loud gurgling scream erupted from the man she had just struck as he flopped like a beached fish on the ground beneath her, blood erupting from the massive wound.

Without the distraction of the second swordsman, Hayate was able to make quick work of the other Nuke-nin, getting within the man's next swing and gutting him in one quick motion, sword sliding from just above the man's right hip to just below the floating ribs on his left side. Being careful with his footing Hayate took several steps back from the now dead enemy Ninja before looking over to check on Anko.

Grunting for a moment in effort she yanked the sword out of the now very dead Ninja beneath her before standing up, weaving on her feet for a moment as a sudden dizzy spell hit her. Stabbing the tip of the sword into the dead body she leaned on it for stability, her eyes closed in concentration as she fought off a minor case of Chakra exhaustion. Shaking her head after the moment passed, she looked out over the now thoroughly destroyed bandit camp, half of it now actively on fire and the entire area littered with dead bodies.

It was hard to believe that they had survived.

"Well shit, we really made a mess of things, didn't' we?" Anko asked her comrade.

"Oh, I don't know, it seemed to turn out alright in the end," Hayate answered. "After all, any battle that you can walk away from when your enemy doesn't has to count as a win. You look like you must have used damn near the last of your chakra taking that other guy out. I couldn't see much of what has happening because of these two, how did you finally take him out?"

"Ah, well," Anko stammered, looking embarrassed. "I didn't have time for any hand seals, and I only had one Kunai left, so I had to improvise. Just about the only Jutsu I can do without hand seals is the Kawarimi, so that's what I had to work with. I got us close to one of the bonfires and switched out with a keg of oil right before he would have hit me with his sword, and caught the bastard on fire."

"You know, that's the kind of thinking that made us Chuunin, instead of sticking around as Gennin," Hayate told her with a smile. "Aren't you so glad we're Chuunin now and can be sent on nice little 'C-Ranked' missions without a Jounin there to hold our hands?"

Anko speared him with a flat glare, the fires of the burning camp giving a dangerous gleam to her eyes.

"Yeah, thrilled," she deadpanned.

Hissing in pain as the adrenaline began to fade from her system, Anko examined the tear on her right sleeve left behind from her last-minute escape from Klaus' final attack, where some of her own blood was beginning to stain the cloth from where she had been nicked in the bicep. Shrugging her right shoulder out of her trench coat, and ignoring Hayate's embarrassed huff as he looked away from her net-clad chest, she probed the edges of the wound with curious fingers.

Three shallow cuts stood out against the smooth skin of her upper arm from where the teeth of the sword had caught her, the thin trickle of blood flowing from them assuring her that he had missed any major veins, as she would have been bleeding much heavier if that had been the case. While the cuts were shallow, she would need to clean them out soon, as she didn't want to imagine what was in the teeth of that sword after cutting through those bandits before getting to her.

Grabbing the handle of the saw blade sword in her left hand, with a grunt of effort she pulled the tip of the blade out of the dead body at her feet for the last time, deciding to keep the sword on hand for the time being. Remembering the supply wagon off by the cooking tent, she remembered seeing a few crates of medical supplies stacked on it earlier in the evening, and it only made sense to see if they had any disinfectant and bandages left over. If she was lucky they would have a needle and thread so that she could close up the wounds as well.

Looking around she spotted the cooking tent down near the river, the wagon still sitting next to it along with a scattering of dead bandits with Kunai sticking out of their bodies. Shifting the sword so that it was propped up against her left shoulder, the blunt spine of the blade resting on her coat to help hold it in place as her right arm was still bare, she made her way towards the wagon.

"Decided to keep the sword?" Hayate asked as he followed along behind her.

"Well, it did come in handy," she replied with a smirk, glancing over her shoulder to catch Hayate rolling his eyes. "Besides, you never know, there might still be someone lurking around that needs killing."

"True," he agreed, eyes suddenly on their surroundings again instead of her half-clad back. "If you want some help training how to use that thing just let me know. I figure with the way things have been with missions recently we're likely going to be sent out together again, and it would be nice to know I can rely on a good sword at my back."

"I might just take you up on that," she nodded as they finally reached the wagon. "Now let's see what we have to work with here."

Taking a moment to prop her new sword up against the wooden side of the wagon she reached down and picked up a nearby box painted white with a red cross on the top and flipped open the lid. Light from a nearby lantern reflected off a half dozen bottles of high-proof alcohol in the straw-lined crate, causing her to snort as the crate was made to hold twenty bottles.

Grabbing one of the bottles with her left hand she pulled out the cork with a practiced twist of her thumb before bringing the bottle above the wound on her right arm. Hissing in pain as the alcohol stung her open wounds she poured the contents over her arm, starting at the shoulder to clean off the blood and dirt.

Chucking the now empty bottle off into the woods with a negligent flick of her wrist, she grabbed the next box to the right, getting lucky this time when the firelight revealed several rolls of linen bandages, as well as needle and thread. Grabbing some of the gauze bandages she pulled on the loose end to get a handful of the cloth, and used that to dab at her wounds, examining them in the light to make sure that nothing was left in the three cuts.

"Want to lend me a hand here?" Anko asked, holding up a spool of thread and a curved metal needle.

"Yeah, no problem," Hayate replied, stepping over.

Instead of immediately grabbing the tools she offered, he grabbed one of the bottles of alcohol from the box she had set aside, quickly opening it and dumping half the contents over his hands and rubbing them together to get them cleaned off first. After he was confident that his hands were clean enough to do more good than harm he took the needle and thread she had offered to him. With deft movements the swordsman threaded the needle, eyeing the size of the individual cuts on her bicep to decide how much length to give to the thread.

As he began the first stitches, skillfully pulling the loose edges of skin together to seal the wound, he took a moment to realize how close she had timed her replacement technique. If she had gotten away too soon it was likely that the Nuke-nin would have been able to pull back his blow, escaping his fiery demise. On the other hand, if she had been any slower she would likely be missing an arm now, and he might be dead.

In the back of his head, his offer for swords training became a bit more urgent.

"I hope you know that you're real lucky to still have this arm," he told her as he cut the thread with a small pair of scissors pulled from the same medical kit.

"It's the luck of the Badger," Anko replied, her left hand reaching up to touch something on her chest.

Hanging from a leather cord around her neck was a smooth disk of bone, the profile of a badger carefully carved into the outer surface with the grooves filled in with ink. She had carved the image herself a little under a year ago after noticing that she hadn't suffered the same reoccurring nightmares once she had bought her giant Hachimitsu badger plushy. Of course, she would happily gut anyone that dared even hint that she needed a stuffed animal to get a good night's sleep.

Besides, he was right, she had been lucky that night.

When they got back to Konoha she would have to thank the Spirit of the Badger for helping her this night. She remembered seeing a badger roaming around the woods near a river that marked the edge of the Nara forests just outside the inner walls of Konoha, and hoped that she could find the badger so that she could give her offering in person.

She would also need to have her new sword looked at by one of the local smiths, and get a good sheath made. She didn't relish the idea of having those sharp saw blade teeth knocking around her thighs as she ran around doing her ninja thing.

Thinking about what she would do once they returned to Konoha helped her ignore the pinch as Hayate finished closing up the last few stitches on her upper arm, his deft hands showing practice in closing up small wounds like this. Once the stitching was complete he grabbed a roll of clean linen bandaging from the supplies, wrapping it around her bicep several times to cover everything up for their trip back.

"Alright, all set," Hayate announced, turning his gaze again towards the camp.

"Thanks," Anko said, shrugging her right arm back into her coat sleeve, making sure not to jostle the bandages too much in the process. "Now, let's see if any of these guys have a bounty on their heads."

"Likely the Nuke-Nin from Mist do," he said, glancing over to the still steaming body next to the bonfire.

Anko snorted.

"Not necessarily, what with the civil war going on," she cautioned. "Still, it's not a bad idea to check."

Pulling out their Bingo Books they began flipping through the pages, reading by the light of the spreading fire.

Hayate quickly checked the identity of the two swordsmen that had engaged him, eventually huffing in disappointment when nothing could be found matching their description. At least there was still the standard bounty for genuine Hitai-ate from non-allied nations, so it wouldn't be a complete loss. The pay was on par with a D-Ranked mission as there was no way to prove that some nameless enemy nin was any higher rank than Gennin, but every ryo counted.

Pausing on a particular page in her own Bingo Book, Anko grabbed the saw blade sword from where she had propped it against the side of the wagon and made her way over to where the dead body of Klaus currently lay, the muddy ground beginning to dry from the intense heat of the nearby bonfire despite the chilly late November air. Careful to not get the teeth of the sword caught on something she used the tip of her new blade to grab the man's shoulder, rolling his body over onto its back with a grunt of effort from the awkward angle.

Holding the book towards the light so that she could compare the picture on the page to the burnt face on the dead body at her feet she double-checked to make sure that she had a match. Many ninja would tell you that there were few things quite as embarrassing in your career as trying to turn in the wrong head for a bounty.

"Do you have something?" Hayate asked, walking over from where he had checked the other two bodies.

"Fairly sure, yeah," Anko replied absently. "I mean he kept shouting out 'say hello to Klaus' during the entire fight, so I figured I might as well check to see if that was actually his name."

"Oh," he nodded. "Was it?"

"No," she snorted, shaking her head. "But it was listed under the page of 'Miscellaneous Nicknames and Monikers Index' that they added in the most recent edition. Turns out his name is actually Sakura, poor bastard."

"Why does that name sound familiar," Hayate muttered to himself.

"If you've ever had the misfortune of doing one of the babysitting D-Ranks for Councilor Haruno you'd be aware of one of the biggest brats in the under-five range," Anko chuckled.

"Aaaand there we go, I thought I had repressed those memories," he said, a haunted look in his eyes. "Do you have any idea how much money I am going to have to spend on sake to repress again?"

"Aw, poor baby," Anko chided, putting her Bingo Book away in an equipment pouch hanging on the back of her belt. "Just remind yourself that she's old enough not to need a babysitter any more, and hope to Kami that you aren't a Jounin Sensei if she ever graduates the Academy like her mother is always spouting off."

"Hmm, joining the ANBU is sounding better all the time," Hayate said in a very serious tone. "So, was there anything interesting to note about this 'Sakura' fellow in the book?"

"Yeah, just one important thing," Anko said, lifting the saw blade sword high in the air. "Apparently he has an amazing self-healing bloodline."

Klaus woke from his healing coma just in time to see his own sword descending in a flash of reflected firelight, his mouth opening in a scream that would never break past his lips as his head rolled along the ground and came to a stop against Hayate's sandals. Shouting in surprise, the Konoha swordsman took a few quick steps back before aiming a fierce glare at the laughing form of Anko.

"Oh, oh man," Anko gasped, trying to catch her breath. "Did you see his face there, Gekko?"

"Kind of hard not to," Hayate muttered in response.

"S-sorry," she apologized, not sounding at all apologetic. "But seriously, he was probably hoping to play dead until we left. I bet it just about killed him inside to hear us calling him by his actual name, and then compare him to a little bratty girl we used to have to babysit like that!"

"Still repressing," Hayate muttered.

"Woo," she gasped, a huge smile on her blood splattered face. "I can't wait to tell that one when we get back to Konoha!"

"I'm sure," he deadpanned. "Speaking of getting back, can we finish up here? The sooner we leave, the sooner we return, and the sooner I can get a bottle in my hand and not have to worry about getting a kunai in the back."

"Yeah, yeah," Anko replied.

Grabbing a small storage scroll from the same pouch her Bingo Book had disappeared into she made her way over to where Klaus' head lay, the shocked look frozen on his face. Rolling the scroll out on the ground next to the head, she made use of the sword tip again to move it on top of the scribble of Fuuinjutsu seals before remembering that she was almost entirely out of Chakra.

"Um, I don't suppose I can borrow a cup of Chakra from you, can I?" she asked.

"You know, I just might make you carry his head in a sack all the way back to Konoha for reminding me of that little brat," Hayate muttered. "You're lucky I don't want to spend the next day smelling burnt hair."

Putting his hands into the Ram hand seal he channeled a small amount of Chakra to activate the storage seal on the scroll, causing the head to disappear in a burst of chakra smoke. Ink lines shifted on the paper of their own volition, showing that the seal was now holding something inside of it, waiting for someone to activate it again to unseal its contents.

Nodding in thanks, Anko rolled the scroll back up and put it back into her equipment pouch before standing up, hefting the saw blade sword up in her left hand and resting the less dangerous spine of the blade against her shoulder. On some unspoken signal, they began walking away from the destroyed bandit camp, their forms fading into the darkness as a light rain began to fall on the countryside.

"So, does you offer for sword training still stand?"

"Ask me again once I recover from my hangover."


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Naruto franchise, nor any of the other series I will be drawing inspiration from in this fanfiction. This is a work of fiction created purely for enjoyment, and no money shall be gained in its production.

**Author Note:** Okay, I was not expecting to get quite as mixed a response to the last chapter as I ended up receiving. It does make sense though, as several people pointed out in the reviews that the sudden inclusion of three people that had nothing to do with Naruto's current situation ended up popping up like that.

Chapter 08 was meant to lay some groundwork for events that will happen in later chapters, and hopefully it will make more sense over the next few chapters.

On the other hand, it was also a test of my own writing, to see how well I could write a fight scene. Believe it or not, that was one of the first times I ever tried to sit down and write something that action-oriented, and I wasn't sure how it would react with my writing style.

I would like to take this moment to thank everyone who have favorited, and or followed, this story so far. Special thanks to those who have spent the time and effort to write a review.

Also, sorry for the lag in posting, I suffered a bit of writer's block, and Amedao has had a lot going on and didn't have much time to beta.

* * *

**BADGER**

**Chapter 09**

* * *

Just over a month had passed since the disappearance of Naruto Uzumaki, and not a day passed that Sarutobi did not regret the fact that they had been unable to find him. Poor Tsume had taken the continued absence particularly hard, feeling that she had personally failed not only Naruto, but herself, when she had accepted defeat in the forest, unable to find any trace of the boy's scent.

After spending the next day with her children, the Inuzuka Clan Head had returned to the Hokage's office, demanding that he put her back to work so that she could prove her worth. While he wished he could keep her on hand in case they got any clues to Naruto's whereabouts, the escalating battles between Konoha and Kumo along the border with Hot Springs required experienced Ninja to help with the patrols.

They had learned much over the last few weeks from Matron Wamura during her imprisonment within the depths of T&amp;I, revealing how far the woman had gone in her desperate urge to rid herself of the 'demon child' without getting caught ending his life herself.

Sending the young child out into the late October night in nothing more than a thin shirt and a pair of pants to ward off the cold was only the most recent in a long line of attempts at killing Naruto. From what Ibiki and his people had learned to far, many of the previous attempts had involved poisons derived from local plant life, or the venom of snakes and insects that could be found in the hills surrounding the village, all of which had ultimately failed against the child's own healing factor.

More difficult was getting a confession from the woman as to who it was on the Civilian Council who had provided the idea of just kicking the child out of the orphanage on his fifth birthday, as the Matron held on to the dream that somehow her supporters would be able to get her released. It might take more time, but at this point time is all they had, and the Civilian Council did not have the power or authority to have her released from her imprisonment as her case had become a Clan issue the moment that Naruto had gotten involved.

Making a note to have Ookami search the forests again when she came back from her current mission, Sarutobi wished that they could have spared the numbers to do a full search for the missing child. Unfortunately, the current state of near war with Kumo, and the recent increase in bandit activity that Jiraiya had gone off to investigate was placing an even higher demand on their ninja forces than before.

Appearing as if called by the thought of the man, a small toad hopped into the Hokage's office from the open window, tired and cold from the long journey to Konoha. Sarutobi put aside the paperwork he had been staring at for the last several minutes and turned his attention to the bright orange toad summon, watching as it landed on the corner of his desk and took a moment to catch its breath.

"I swear, that man has no idea how cold it is up north, spending all his time hanging out at the hot springs," the toad summon grumbled. "Research, bah."

"Do you have something for me?" Sarutobi asked, grateful for the brief distraction from his troubled thoughts.

"Yeah, hold on," the toad replied, pulling a tightly bound scroll out of his mouth that was easily twice as long as the length of his body. "Most recent report from Jiraiya. Can I go now?"

"Yes, you may go," Sarutobi replied with a kind voice. "Thank you for bringing this to me."

Taking a brief moment to tilt its body to imitate a nod, the toad disappeared with a puff of chakra mist as it returned to its home on Mount Myoboku. Stretching out his senses, Sarutobi made sure that the only other person in the office with him was the well-hidden Mukade, the Aburame ANBU hidden behind a Fuuinjutsu-based Genjutsu in the corner closest to the open window.

Confident that he did not have any unwanted observers, he quickly removed the ninja wire that Jiraiya had bound the simple scroll with, spreading the rolled parchment out on the surface of his desk. Placing a pair of kunai on top of the far corners to hold the scroll flat, he began to read Jiraiya's report.

_Sarutobi,_

_As I indicated in my last report to you, I have moved my center of investigation down to the coastal town of Hamamura in the far south to follow up on the rumors of unusual levels of bandit activity taking place in recent months._

_Even though I have yet to spend an entire week here, I have already managed to gather enough information to paint a rather grim picture of what is going on. Even in this quaint village people are hesitant to go out into the wilderness as of late, afraid that they will be taken by bandits and killed, or worse. There are also rumors that entire towns have been attacked en-masse recently in highly organized raids that show an almost professional level of coordination._

_Originally I suspected that this might be the action of yet another self styled 'Bandit King' making themselves known, which would be simple enough to take care of by simply killing their leader and taking out the rest in detail._

_Unfortunately the one leading these bandits is none other than Gato, owner and CEO of Gato Shipping, whom we are both familiar with. He has apparently decided that it is more economical to hire bandits than to hire trained professionals to run 'security' for his operations in the area. Many of those hired by his company have already boarded ships for parts yet unknown, but I suspect that a large number of bandits are being kept within the borders of our own nation awaiting further orders._

_These reserve groups have had leadership sent to organize them, often in the form of low ranking nuke-nin hired to enforce Gato's will, increasing the danger of attacking these camps well beyond the level of a C-Ranked mission._

_I caution you to send at least one Jounin to the recent mission on the border of Sea, as not only has the overall number of bandits reported to be in the camp increased to well over a hundred, but there have also been sightings of a B-ranked nuke-nin from Hidden Mist by the name of Sakura in the area. When I passed on the original request I was not aware of this information, and I hope you have not already sent an under strength team to carry out this mission._

_I will do my best over the next few months to try to discover exactly what it is that Gato is trying to accomplish, but I am aware that taking direct action against either the man or his corporation will not be feasible at this time due to the political and financial ramifications._

_Jiraiya_

Sarutobi spent a few moments to read the note again, before reading the rest of the report. It was disturbing that there was that much evidence already linking the wealthy shipping tycoon to the increase in bandit activity. More disturbing was the thought of the man actively hiring nuke-nin to organize these forces underneath his banner.

By the point that he reached the mention of the recent mission on the border of Sea Sarutobi uttered a curse that would have had his late wife send him to sleep on the couch for a month, Hokage or not.

He had already had that mission handed out, and C-Ranked bandit extermination missions were currently being assigned to two-man Chuunin teams instead of the traditional Jounin led Gennin teams used when they had the numbers to spare. By this point it would be too late to recall them, as they had to be almost as their destination, if they had not yet arrived there already.

"Mukade, can you bring me the records of recent assignments over the last week?" Sarutobi asked.

"Yes, Lord Hokage," the ANBU replied, departing the office.

His secretary kept a ledger of all recent and ongoing assignments on her desk so that she could cross-reference it against the names of those who came to the Hokage's office asking for a meeting. It was this book that Mukade returned with moments later, placing it squarely on the desk in front of him before disappearing back into the far corner.

It did not take long for Sarutobi to leaf through the well organized pages before finding the recent C-Ranked missions, tracing the callused tip of his index finger down the list of names and assignments written there in black ink. Many of the missions had checkmarks next to them indicating that the mission had been successfully completed, bringing revenue to the village, where a very small few had small x marks written in red ink, showing that they had failed.

Since only a few missions were actually handed out in his presence, his time often taken up by other matters, he had to check the description of every mission to make sure that he did not overlook the one he was searching for. After all, if he remembered correctly it had been around a week since the mission had been handed out, and travel times can vary greatly at this time of year.

"Ah, here we are," Sarutobi spoke to himself, tapping the tip of his finger against the page. "C-Ranked, Bandit Camp Extermination, forest outside of Sugimura, by request of local lordship... assigned to Chuunin Anko Mitarashi and Chuunin Hayate Gekko."

Leaning against the padded backrest of his chair the Hokage sighed, staring at the empty space next to the mission showing that the fate of the two ninja assigned to it was still unknown. He could only hope that they would notice the odds against them and return without attempting to complete the mission, as he would not willingly ask a team that under strength to go against odds like that unless it was required for the safety of their own village.

Grabbing his pen and a spare piece of paper he quickly wrote out a request to the assignment office to report to him once the results of this mission became known. Grabbing his seal of office he quickly stamped the request, making it official.

"Mukade, can you please take this note to the assignment office for me, and return the ledger to my secretary on your way out?" Sarutobi asked the hidden ANBU.

"Of course, Lord Hokage," the other man replied, quick to carry out his request.

Reaching into one of the many hidden pockets of his Hokage robe, he pulled out his long stemmed pipe, the briar bowl smoothed by years of use, and placed the tip into his mouth to hold it in place while he searched for his tobacco. He made a pleased hum when he found the small leather pouch tucked into an inner pocket cleverly sewn into his robe.

Rich dark strands of cured tobacco filled the air with an earthy yet sweet scent as he packed the bowl of his pipe with practiced ease, deft hands ensuring that he did not pack it too tightly. Channeling a small amount of Katon Chakra as he drew air through the stem and into his mouth he lit his pipe, blue gray smoke soon curling up from the bowl of his pipe, dancing on the gentle breeze coming from the open window.

Leaning back again in his chair his mind drifted to the two Chuunin that had been assigned to that mission, absentmindedly drawing the smoke into his mouth before allowing it to slowly drift away, pooling for a moment against the inner curve of his Hokage hat.

In this moment of introspection his mind drifted to Anko Mitarashi, contemplating the young woman that many in the village still distrusted due to her history with the traitor Orochimaru. It was interesting how similar her situation was to Naruto's, both of them carrying a seal that neither of them had asked for, causing the villagers to hate them for something that they had no control over.

Sometimes he had to wonder if the Will of Fire still burned in Konoha, or if it had shrunk to a mere ember. All his hopes and dreams now rested upon the shoulders of this new generation, and he could only hope that somehow Naruto would return to them to take part in it. Even now he refused to believe that the boy was not out there, just waiting for the right moment to return to them.

Looking out the window over the tiled roofs of Konoha, his gaze wandered to the nearly leafless trees covering the wilderness outside the earthen walls of the village.

"I wonder how Naruto is doing," Sarutobi muttered to himself.

* * *

Closing his eyes, Naruto took a deep breath, drawing the air in through his nose and enjoying the smell of nature all around him, smiling as he caught the comforting musk of Momma Badger from where she sat next to him at the base of the large tree that grew over their Sett. Ever since his first night in the Sett, he had noticed that he could smell things much better than he could before, the damp air heavy with the scent of the forest around them.

Heavy rain had fallen the night after they found the cabin, making Naruto happy that he had found better clothes, even if he didn't understand how a shirt made out of net could keep him warm and dry like it did. Whenever he got dirty, they were easy to clean, needing just a quick dunk in clean water and a good shake before putting them back on again.

They had gone back to the cabin again over the last few days, using the larger pants as a makeshift sack to carry more jars of food back to their home, storing them in an unused chamber in the Sett. With this extra supply of food they weren't as desperate in their foraging during the day, giving them more time to relax like they were right now.

Since he didn't have to worry about having enough to eat, between what they found out in the forest and what they had stashed in the sett, Naruto was no longer constantly hungry like he had been at the orphanage. Years of malnourishment were quickly fading, his skinny frame filling out with muscle that could now be seen behind his net shirt from where his chest was peeking out the open front of the short-sleeved gray jacket.

A small breeze wove through the forest as a shaft of sunlight peeked from the clouds above, showing where the roots of Naruto's hair were starting to grow in silver, an after-effect of the foreign chakra flowing through his body every night. His hair had not had a chance to grow much since he first found his way to Momma Badger, but the effect of the silver roots made his hair look like more of a straw-yellow blond than the vibrant yellow-blond he had inherited from his father.

Opening his eyes, Naruto looked over as he heard a sound down in the small valley at the base of the hill, Momma Badger stirring into alertness beside him with a quiet chitter of caution to her adventurous kit. Knowing better at this point than to just go running towards strange sounds, having learned that lesson after a close encounter with a not-quite hibernating bear, he decided to climb up the tree a bit to get a better look.

Rough bark scraped against his sandaled feet as he pulled his body up into the branches with a strength that he had lacked before, gained from good nutrition and near constant exercise. Several dry leaves tumbled down from the tree as he reached a good perch several feet off the ground, where he spent a moment making sure that he could get down and run to the safety of the nearby sett if the sound was coming from something dangerous.

Shifting winds brought a strange new scent to his nose, causing him to look towards the far end of the valley just as a large deer strode out into the clearing, a large set of antlers swiveling as the bull deer looked around, eyes alert for the first sign of danger. With the wind at his back, the buck did not smell the presence of Naruto and Momma Badger at the top of the hill, but there was no doubt that it could smell the musk of badgers all over the area.

Satisfied that the area was clear, the bull deer walked further along the valley, his black hooves piercing through the damp leaves that littered the forest floor as it walked towards the distant river. After a few moments, a small group of four does ghosted out of the tree line, following behind the much larger buck on their own dainty hooves, pausing on occasion to snag a few pieces of grass that stubbornly stuck out beneath the mottled browns yellows and oranges of dead leaves.

From his vantage point up in the branches of the tree, Naruto watched in fascination as the small herd slowly moved out of sight, the only evidence of their passage a few scattered leaves and a single pile of droppings. No doubt Momma Badger would be taking him for a tour of her borders to mark their territory again that evening, to remind the other animals of the forest that this was her land.

Now that the deer were out of view he scrambled back down from his perch in the tree, ignoring the flat stare that Momma Badger was giving to him for scampering around in the tree tops like a squirrel. As soon as his sandals hit the ground, she stuck her long nose out and examined him, soft grunting sounds escaping as she reassured herself that he hadn't gotten hurt while he was up there.

Following the insistent dove-like call of Momma Badger, he followed her down the hill and into the sett, the sound of distant thunder speaking of another rainstorm coming in from the south. It was at times like this that Naruto was grateful for the warmth and shelter provided by the tunnels and chambers they called home.

He would hate to be caught outside in the rain.

* * *

A deep ache had settled into the wounds on Anko's bicep over the last few days as they made their journey back to Konoha, leaving the smoldering ashes of the bandit camp far behind them. Heavy rains had begun to fall shortly after the battle was done, threatening to steal the warmth from their very bones as they picked over the remains of the camp in search of information to bring back to the village.

Nothing could be found linking the bandits to whomever had been supplying them, due either to the fires that had consumed a majority of the camp, or perhaps there had never been any documents to begin with. By mere chance, Hayate had spotted a scrap of paper trapped beneath the corner of one of the crates in the supply wagon that was printed with a shipping manifest from Gato Shipping. While that was little more than circumstantial evidence, they would present the manifest to the mission office upon their return.

They were currently camped in the hollow left behind by a fallen tree, the broken off roots reaching out above their heads and scattering the thin trail of smoke from the small fire they had made. It was apparent that someone else had used this spot to camp some months back, as a small trench had already been dug leading off to a nearby hill, allowing the falling rainwater to drain out onto a small stream.

Anko had set up one of the lean-tos that she had taken from the bandit camp, stretching it out with ninja wire to some of the low-hanging roots to give her shelter from the falling rain. Sitting under this shelter she carefully eased out of her wet trench coat before placing it on the ground to sit on, the limited seals sewn into the fabric preventing the water from soaking all the way through.

By the limited light of the fire she examined the bandage on her upper right arm, hissing in pain as her fingertips brushed against the raised swell of the wounds beneath. They had done the best they could without a field medic on their team, but she feared that infection had already started setting in the three shallow cuts.

Making quick one-handed work of the knot holding the bandage in place, she carefully removed the blood soaked gauze, revealing the angry red skin lining two of the three cuts. It was rare for a trained Ninja to get an infection like this, as their trained use of chakra had an effect on strengthening their bodies, but she had already used nearly all of her chakra by the time she got caught on the teeth of Klaus' sword.

With luck they would be back in Konoha in a little over a day, and she could have a trained medic-nin examine the wound, taking care of the damage and the infection.

Looking at the cuts on her arm made her think of the fight that had led up to them, reminding her that she owed two handfuls of peanuts in sacrifice to the Spirit of the Badger for the luck that had protected her that night. She only hoped that the badger she remembered wandering near the edge of the Nara forests outside Konoha was willing to be found once they got back.

Reaching up her hand she touched the bone pendant hanging from her neck, fingertips tracing the outline of the honey badger as she stared into the fire.

"How are your cuts doing?" Hayate asked, returning to their small camp and settling down beneath his own temporary shelter on the other side of the fire.

"Aww, see, I knew you cared," Anko teased.

"Still not my type, Mitarashi," he reminded her.

"My arm's not going to fall off tonight if that's what you're asking," Anko grumbled, reaching into a small satchel filled with loot from the bandit camp, searching for her supply of fresh bandages.

"Well that's good," Hayate nodded. "I'll have a hard time teaching you how to use a sword if your arm falls off."

"Decided you were going to teach me after all?" Anko asked, doing her best to put a fresh bandage on one-handed.

"If you're able to learn," the swordsman replied with a smirk. "I did you a favor and cleaned the blade off for you, but you will need to have a new handle and sheath made by a smith when we get back to the village. I took the liberty of sealing it up in my storage scroll so that you don't have to worry about carrying around bare steel when we get back."

"Pfamks," Anko muttered, holding one end of the loose bandage between her teeth as she tied a fresh knot.

Satisfied that the gauze cloth would hold for the night, Anko spent a moment re-arranging the ends of her coat so that she could lie down without directly touching the damp soil. At times like this, she wished that she had been able to afford a more expensive set of net clothing like she saw some of the clan heirs wearing.

Rolling around a bit to get into a more comfortable position, she smirked as Hayate did his level best to ignore her nearly bare chest. Thankfully, the material of the lean-to was able to reflect some of the heat of the small fire back down at her, and the earthen walls surrounding them kept the winds from stealing the warmth back.

"I wonder if those supplies came directly from Gato, or if someone else bought them and had them sent to the bandit camp," Hayate muttered, his eyebrows lowered in thought.

"If it did come from Gato, I have to wonder what the little bastard thinks about having his goons cut out from under him," Anko replied with a bloodthirsty smirk. "I'd hate to be the messenger that brought him that news."

* * *

Heavy winds blew over the turbulent gray waters of the Kaizoku sea, carrying the heavy rains that had pelted the northern coast of the Land of Noodles for the last three days. Looking out the windows of his office at the headquarters if his shipping company, Gato eyed the ships that sat in the safety of the harbor, waiting out the storm in the safety of the man-made bay. Large waves broke themselves upon the levee that had been built upon his orders earlier that year, the sunken wall of boulders and sand protecting his investments from the forces of nature.

Seeing the scurrying figures of people racing in the streets below brought a wicked grin to his face, knowing that he was warm and dry in his office while they had to run around in the cold and rain. That had been him once, before he figured out how the world really worked, before he figured out what true power was.

It was this vision that took him from being a lowly clerk working for a trading house, to owning one of the largest shipping company this side of the Elemental Nations. He hadn't let things like his short height, or the weakness in his left leg caused by an injury when he was a child, to hold him back. Money was power, and what money could not buy him, violence could.

And money bought violence.

Some of his old rivals had tried to use his own methods against him over the years, which was why he was never without a bodyguard. Even here, in the relative safety of his office, two trained swordsman stood on either side of the thick oak door in case someone tried to attack him.

Zori and Waraji had been with him for quite some time, working their way up the pecking order just as he had, until they found their way at his side. They had been dishonorably discharged from the Samurai ranks in the Land of Iron due to their bloodthirsty nature, a trait that Gato found valuable in those working under him.

Deciding to get some more work done, he made his way back to his desk, the ferrule of his cane clicking on the stone tiles that paved his office floor. A fireplace sat in the wall ten feet behind his desk, a stack of burning logs giving both light and warmth to the room, which outlined the tall back of his overstuffed leather executive chair when viewed from the doorway. He liked the effect, where he was cast in shadow against a backdrop of flames, reminding those visiting his office of the power he had over them.

He had just sat down when a faint knock could be heard at the door, barely audible against the sound of the rain pelting the windows. Nodding to Waraji, the businessman clasped his hands in front of his mouth and leaned forward, angling his head so that the light in the hallway would reflect off the round lenses of his sunglasses. When he was in position, the swordsman opened up the door, Zori ready with his sword to attack on the opposite side of needed.

"Mister Gato, sir?" asked the nervous young man who had knocked. "I have a message, sir... f-from Yasuo."

After a few moments, Gato remembered Yasuo as being the man overlooking their recruiting efforts in the Land of Fire, whose efforts had begun amassing a large force of bandits. While the businessman had been tight-lipped as to why he suddenly wanted to gather so many mercenaries together, the last report he had received from that region had shown that they had gathered just over a hundred bandits, and even a few Nuke-nin to their cause already.

"What is the message," Gato asked, eager to hear how well things were going.

"He w-wouldn't tell me, sir," the messenger replied. "He handed me this scroll, and told me to make sure that only you opened it."

The sound of metal scraping on wood stopped the messenger as he started to reach towards his pocket, the sight of two inches of bared steel peeking from the sheath of Zori's katana freezing him in place. Waraji took a step towards him, reaching into the open front of the man's coat, pulling out a scroll sealed with a blob of green wax. Cracking the seal, the swordsman took a moment to check the contents of the scroll, making sure that there were no obvious traps or poisons on it as he walked over to Gato's desk.

Accepting the scroll from his bodyguard's hands, Gato rotated his chair so that the light of the fireplace escaped over his right shoulder, allowing him to read what his lieutenant had written to him. As he continued to read, the smirk on his face quickly faded, replaced by an angry scowl, his beady eyes narrowing from behind his sunglasses.

"You know nothing of what Yasuo wrote on this scroll, correct?" Gato asked.

"N-nothing, sir," the messenger gulped.

"Hmm, good," Gato nodded, reaching for his cane.

Standing up, the businessman walked over to the fireplace, his short frame casting tall shadows on the room behind him as he stared down into the flames. Taking a moment to examine the scroll once more to make sure he hadn't read it wrong, before tossing it on top of the burning logs, watching the paper turn black and crumble into ash until nothing as left.

Coming to a decision, he clicked the ferrule of his cane on the stone tiles twice in quick succession, smirking as he heard the severed head of the messenger hit the floor mere moments after the second strike.

"Make sure the cleaning staff takes care of that mess," Gato told his bodyguards, "and have orders sent to cut back on our activities in the Land of Fire. Have them move to the nearest port town, and book passage on my ships to the island of Wave."

It was unfortunate that the camp that had been destroyed had once held a majority of the bandits he had managed to recruit in the region, the rumors of a Nuke-nin being in the camp drawing in numbers just as surely as the promise of ryo and women had. The loss of that many men would set his plans back several years, as the bandits in that region became more cautious after news of the slaughter spread, as no doubt it already had.

"Heh, at least now I don't have to pay those Nuke-nin the money I promised them," Gato said with a smirk. "That's something I will have to keep in mind in the future."

His plans for Wave would have to wait for the time being, but his ultimate goal remained the same. It was not enough to own a shipping company, he wanted to rule over more than ships and warehouses, without having to bow down and pay the taxes of the greedy Daimyo and their courtiers.

That was why the island of Wave would be so perfect for his needs, placed where it was so close to the major trade routes of the Kaizoku Sea, but too small to support a Daimyo, let alone a Hidden Village. Without anyone to contest his rule, he could turn the entire island into one large port-town, answering only to him.

No matter who he had to kill to get there.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Naruto franchise, nor any of the other series I will be drawing inspiration from in this fanfiction. This is a work of fiction created purely for enjoyment, and no money shall be gained in its production.

**Author Note:** To those who haven't yet guessed, Anko is going to be an important part of this story, which is why she has been mentioned so much in recent chapters. I know that people want to read more about our main character, and the story will be steering back to focus more on him in the next chapter.

As to those asking about pairings in this story, I have this to say. I would like to have a pairing in this story, but I want to see how the relationships between the characters develop naturally over the course of the story instead of trying to force a pairing and risk it feeling unnatural.

* * *

**BADGER**

**Chapter 10**

* * *

If looks could kill, Hayate would have been a dead man.

Once the doctor removed the bandage wrapping Anko's arm the examined the angry red wounds, revealing that the wounds hadn't been properly cleaned out before being closed up. With that said, the doctor proceeded to remove all of the stitches so that they could get access to the infected tissue.

When Anko was released from the hospital her arm was aching not only from the medical Jutsu used to remove the infection from her arm, but also from how tight the new stitches were beneath the fresh bandages. She had been given a prescription for antibiotics as well as a package of replacement bandaging and a tube of medical paste to apply to the wound over the following week.

Needless to say, she blamed Hayate for the fresh pain in her arm, as Klaus was no longer around to be blamed.

Feeling the weight of her glare, the swordsman was desperate to turn in their mission so that he could escape his fellow Chuunin's presence. A sense of relief filled him when the Assignment Office came into view, the end of their days long journey nearly coming to an end. He barely held himself back from breaking into a sprint, but forced himself to keep it to a brisk walk in order to avoid making her even angrier.

As they neared the entrance to the building a sense of dread began to build within him once more as he heard the sound of a large number of people coming from within. When he finally reached out and opened the door they were greeted by a room filled with other Ninja already waiting in line to turn in their own missions. Jounin sensei were riding herd on their Gennin, while the numerous Chuunin stood around in small groups discussing their latest adventures.

It was at that moment that Hayate realized that they had returned to Konoha on a Monday, and it was currently the Ninja equivalent of rush hour in the Assignment Office.

Requests would come in from all over the village for minor D-Ranked missions over the weekend and the different Jounin would rush to complete their assignments so that they could receive their pay, and spend the rest of the day either lounging around or training their Gennin. Since the Assignment Office closed for an hour at lunch time, these teams ended up crowding the waiting room and holding everyone else back from turning in their own assignments.

Glancing over at the scowling face of Anko Mitarashi, Hayate spent a brief moment considering what would happen if he pointed out that they could have avoided this wait if they had turned in their mission first before heading to the hospital to have her arm looked at. Fortunately for him, his sense of self preservation kept his mouth shut.

Several eyes were drawn to the torn and bloody sleeve of Anko's trench coat, while a few others spent an inappropriate amount of time staring at the window of net-covered cleavage revealed by the open front of the coat. However, there was a small number of people that noticed the bone pendant hanging around her neck, giving her subtle nods of recognition.

Even now, just over five years after the Badger Boss had been summoned to defend their village against the relentless attack of the Kyuubi, badgers held a strong reputation as guardian animals for the people of Konoha. It was said that in a great time of need, the Badger Boss would return to defend them once more, laying low those who would seek to destroy the peace that they tried so hard to create.

Many people gave lip service to this idea, believing that with the death of the last Okamoto the Badgers would never be able to return. There was a small, but growing, number of people in the village that held true that even if the body of the Badger had been laid low, its spirit still remained, watching over them. They believed that carrying the image of the Badger with them granted luck, and as with the Kami of old they would give offerings to the Badger in thanks.

Anko had first become aware of the Badger during the Festival last fall, mere months after the betrayal of her old master, Orochimaru. During her darkest hour, wandering the alleyways and back streets of the village while everyone else celebrated the fall of the Kyuubi, she had overheard the voice of Jiraiya the Toad Sage telling storied about the Badger Boss, and speaking the name 'Hachimitsu'.

Ever since waking up with the curse seal on her neck she had suffered continuous nightmares whenever she slept, only to suffer the glares and harsh whispers of the villagers as she stumbled through the streets in an exhausted daze. When she returned that night having purchased a massive plush replica of Hachimitsu she enjoyed sleep without nightmares for the first time in months, the Badger appearing in her dreams to drive off the snakes that haunted her.

After that she slowly became aware of people in the village wearing pendants bearing the image of a badger, and wondered how she had never noticed them before. No two pendants were alike, each made of different materials, and crafted with varying levels of workmanship. Some carried the image of the local European Badger, but a small number were of the Honey Badger, fashioned in the image of Hachimitsu.

Learning that it had become the custom to make your own pendant as a sign of respect to the Spirit of the Badger, she began practicing on small pieces of wood taken from the forests outside Konoha, whittling the wood down to size with a Kunai, and using the tip of a Senbon to engrave the image on the flat surface. She kept the practice up, spending time during the long escort missions her team went on under her new Jounin sensei to hone her skill.

The bone pendant she now wore around her neck was her most recent creation, and the first one she had ever tried to make out of bone. She considered it a sign that she had finally passed the grueling Chuunin Exams immediately after making this pendant, thus proving to her that the Luck of the Badge was more than just some old wives' tale.

In her heart she knew it was that luck that had brought both of them back to Konoha after the mission that ended with the death of Klaus, and her acquiring her new awesome sword. It had to be a sign that she had run into the Nuke-nin the way she did, telling her that not only did she need to learn how to use a sword, but outright giving her a cool blade like that at the same time.

Hopefully she would earn enough for the bounty for the Nuke-nin to pay for the work that would need to be done on the sword to get it ready, because she wanted to start practicing with it as soon as possible.

"Looks like the bounty clerk is available," Hayate pointed out. "Go ahead and go over, I'll hold our place in line to turn in our mission."

"You better," Anko replied, pulling the mission scroll out of her equipment pouch and handing it to him with a parting scowl.

Much like a civilian bank, the Assignment Office had a line of clerks sitting behind a tall counter top, ledger books close at hand to double check the assignments being turned in for accuracy. Off to the side of the room one of the work stations sat alone, a sign painted with the words 'Bounty Officer' hanging above the old man that sat there. Unlike the other clerks who handled handing out assignments and giving pay for completed missions, this man only handled pay outs for bounties in the Bingo Book.

As Anko sauntered over to the counter she reached into her equipment pouch and pulled out a storage scroll, double-checking to make sure that it was the one that held the head of the Nuke-nin she had killed three days ago, and not the sword that Hayate had sealed into his own storage scroll for her. Reassured that she had the right scroll in hand, she stopped in front of the counter and waited for the old man to acknowledge her.

Better not to anger the man who was about to hand her several thousand Ryo.

"Name?" the old man asked, looking her in the eye over the rim of his glasses.

"Anko Mitarashi," she replied.

"I meant the name of the dead man you want to get paid for," the bounty officer said without humor.

"Oh, sorry," Anko apologized. "Sakura 'Klaus' Furusaki."

She resisted the urge to blush as the old man opened up a large ledger book, a much larger version of the Bingo Books that many ninja carried around that held much more detailed information on the people contained within. Gnarled hands flipped through the pages of this book with a disturbing level of agility, reminding Anko that this man had likely lived long enough to have seen all three Shinobi Wars.

Chances were he was the single most dangerous person in the entire building, which was why he was sitting alone in the corner with little more than a large book filled with the names of future dead men, and a cash box sitting next to him filled with more Ryo than many ninja would ever see during their own careers. Anyone who tried to steal from him would not have long to regret that decision, if they were lucky.

"Ah, here we are," the clerk stated, having found the right page. "Furusaki, Sakura. Alias, 'Klaus'. B-Ranked nuke-nin from Hidden Mist, bounty two hundred thousand ryo."

Anko's heart skipped a beat at hearing the amount, as her own bingo book listed a more modest eighty thousand ryo bounty. She might need to replace it with a new copy soon, if it was that out of date.

"What proof have you for the bounty?" he asked her.

"I have a storage scroll containing his head, sir," Anko replied in a slightly dazed voice, her hand moving on its own to hand the scroll over.

"It will just take a moment to verify the kill," the clerk told her, accepting the scroll.

Reaching down below his desk, the old man pulled out a metal tray with tall sidewalls to keep anything from spilling out, placing it on the surface of his desk on his right hand side next to the open ledger. With practiced ease he opened up the scroll and flipped it upside down so that the intricate storage seal was pointed down at the metal tray. Moments later he channeled a precise amount of chakra into the scroll to release the seal, the dull thump of the head hitting the metal surface of the tray drawing the attention of a trio of Gennin standing nearby waiting for their Jounin sensei to turn in their mission.

When the Chakra mist faded to reveal the burnt and bloody head left behind one of the Gennin let out a short scream, while the other two quickly turned to face the other direction, looking slightly ill. Several Jounin and Chuunin looked over to see what the commotion was about, only to roll their eyes when they saw what had caused such a reaction from the inexperienced Gennin.

Pulling out a pair of rubber gloves the old man began to inspect the dead man's head, fingers prying open the eyelids to reveal a pair of sightless eyes that he compared to the picture in the book. Next he pried open the mouth, checking the teeth against a set of detailed dental records drawn there, and noting the file marks from an inexpert attempt to sharpen the canines.

It was truly amazing the amount of detailed medical information that the rival Hidden Villages would share with each other to ensure that the right person had been killed.

During this inspection, a series of small Fuuinjutsu seals along the edge of the tray kept the stench of death from leaving its confines. This was more in respect for the other people working there that would have been stuck with the smell for the next several hours than any reluctance on the part of the elderly man himself.

When he was finished he stripped the rubber gloves off his hands, making sure not to get any of 'Klaus' on him as he did so, and dropped them into the tray on top of the head. Reaching out one of his gnarled fingertips he touched a small circle of seals on the outside of the tray and channeled another burst of Chakra, causing a small but intense fire to light the corner of the office as the combined Katon (Fire) and Fuuton (Wind) seals destroyed everything inside it.

"Everything checks out," the clerk said with a pleased tone. "On behalf of both Konoha and Mizu, we thank you for the service you have rendered in bringing this criminal to justice. This kill will be recorded in your permanent files, and the listed bounty of two hundred thousand ryo will be paid to you immediately."

While he rambled off this scripted speech, his deft hands lifted the lid of his cash box and proceeded to pull out several stacks of two hundred ryo notes bundled together with bank tape indicating the number of bills and value of each stack. One by one he dropped these onto the table in front of her until he reached the right amount, and then he spun his ledger around to face her.

"It is required that you place your thumbprint in the designated box at the bottom of the page," he told her, his calloused hand producing a small penknife from somewhere and placing it next to the open ledger. "In blood."

If she were to be perfectly honest, her hand shook as she cut the pad of her thumb and pressed it down next to the receipt for the money.

While she was signing, he had taken the now empty metal tray and placed it back out of sight beneath his desk, leaving her now empty storage scroll next to the large stack of money that now belonged to her. Sticking her thumb in her mouth to suck the blood off of it, she looked from the stack of ryo notes while the clerk cleaned and reused the penknife to cut his own thumb and place his print next to hers to document the bounty.

Ignoring the dried blood on the scroll from when she had rolled the head on to it, she made the quick decision to re-use the seal, and proceeded to pile the money on top of it.

She did not miss the intense awareness coming from the elderly clerk the moment she channeled her chakra, sealing the money inside the storage scroll so that she could carry it out with her. With a quick bow of thanks, she rolled the storage scroll back up and placed it safely in the equipment pouch hidden beneath her coat at her lower back.

Looking around the room she spotted Hayate, who had nearly reached the assignment counter by this point. There were a few grumbles as she wove through the crowd, but nobody complained when she rejoined her teammate's side. After all, they had just seen her turn in a substantial bounty for someone as young as she was, and it wasn't like she was cutting in line herself since Hayate had kept their place the entire time.

"If they gave you that much for the bounty, you must have been real lucky to survive with just a cut on your arm," Hayate muttered to her.

"I already told you, it was the Luck of the Badger," Anko replied with a smirk.

"You can't rely on luck all the time," Hayate cautioned. "We'll start your Kenjutsu lessons next week, once the doctor gives you a clean bill of health for your arm."

"Are you going to ask me to call you 'Gekko-sensei'?" Anko teased. "I wasn't aware you were into that kind of thing."

"Really, really not my type, Mitarashi," Hayate replied, turning back to face the back of the man standing before them in line. "All kidding aside, I am going to train you into the ground until I'm sure you won't be a danger to either of us before I let you anywhere near that sword again."

Anko responded with a simple nod, the memory of Klaus coming at her that night fresh in her mind once more after seeing his burnt head lying there in the metal tray. Remembering the three Gennin who had been close by when the head had been taken out, she looked over to the side of the room to see their Jounin sensei kneeling next to them talking to them in a low voice.

She forced herself to look away, hiding her moment of emotional weakness by glaring at the back of Hayate's head again, feeling a small moment of triumph as his shoulders instinctively hunched together.

"Next!"

Feet shuffled as the line inched forward, bringing them a few steps closer to the assignment counter as a rather pleased Chuunin walked away holding the pay for a solo D-Ranked mission. While those tended to only bring in around 5,000 Ryo each, there was something to be said for spending a few hours of your morning and walking away with the equivalent of a week's worth of rent on a decent apartment.

Not that she had much of a concept what rent should be on a decent apartment, due to the fact that her tainted reputation kept her from being accepted anywhere other than the over-priced dive she was currently living in. Okay, it wasn't too bad of an apartment, but she had seen the places other Chuunin lived in and knew she was getting ripped off.

"Next!"

Anko shifted her weight from one foot to the other, anxious to get out of the assignment office and away from the stares and whispered voices that surrounded her. Her equipment pouch felt unnaturally heavy at the base of her spine, even though all it held were the two storage scrolls containing her new sword and the money she received for her bounty.

It would be best for her to pay for the work on the sword before she had a chance to go out and party, otherwise she might wake up a week later having spent it all on sake and dango.

"When do you plan to get your new sword looked at?" Hayate asked her as they waited.

"Right after we get paid here," Anko told him. "I figure the sooner I hand it over, the sooner I get it back."

"That is true," Hayate agreed. "I will come with you so you know what training equipment you need to buy."

"Thanks," she nodded.

"Next!" shouted the clerk.

Hayate pulled their mission scroll out of his equipment pouch as he approached the clerk behind the counter, Anko following close behind as she realized that they had finally reached the front of the line. The clerk wordlessly accepted the tightly bound scroll from the swordsman, asking for both of their names as they checked the contents of the scroll against their ledger book.

"According to our records, your mission has been retroactively upgraded to a B-Rank mission due to new intel received after your assignment," the clerk told them, sparing them a glance before turning his eyes back to the papers. "I just need to get your increased pay approved by the Jounin on staff today. I will be back in a few moments."

Anko glanced over at Hayate with a raised eyebrow, receiving a shrug from the swordsman as the clerk rolled their mission scroll back up, taking it with him into the back office. Several Ninja in line behind them groaned at the delay, while a Gennin further back in the line asked their Jounin sensei if they would be done soon, as they needed to go to the bathroom.

After a few minutes the clerk returned, much to the relief of everyone in line, and sat back down in his chair behind the counter.

"Your extra pay has been approved," the clerk told them as he began to count out their money on the counter. "You will each receive a total of fifty thousand ryo, totaling a mission pay of one hundred thousand for your upgraded B-Rank mission."

"Thank you," Hayate nodded to the clerk, accepting his own stack of ryo notes.

"The more the merrier," Anko said with a grin, tucking the extra money into her equipment pouch with the two sealing scrolls. "Let's get out of here Gekko, we have to see a man about a sword."

"Why does it sound so dirty when you say it like that," Hayate grumbled as they cleared the way for the next person in the line.

"You just have a dirty mind," she said, smirking as he stumbled at hearing her response.

"Seriously not my type," he told her as they left the building.

Neither of them noticed the ANBU leaping across the rooftops heading for the Hokage Tower with their mission scroll on Sarutobi's order to report to him if the two Chuunin made it back to the village. It was for that reason the clerk had gone in to the back office, not because he needed authorization to increase their pay.

* * *

Anko had taken a moment to unseal her sword so she could hand Hayate's storage scroll back to him, and was now walking through the village with the spine of the blade resting on her left shoulder. Sunlight shone down on the village through narrow holes in the cloud cover, glinting off the curved saw blade edge, its intimidating appearance causing villagers to cross to the other side of the street to avoid them.

It might have also been the blood covering the right sleeve of her tan trench coat. After all, only a little bit of it on the upper arm was hers, the rest belonged to the two nuke-nin that she had killed with the sword.

_At least I cleaned the sword off,_ Anko thought to herself with a wicked grin.

Since this was a Hidden Village, there were several weapon shops to choose from, the constant need for new tools allowing for healthy competition between the different shop owners. There was one particular shop that she was leading them towards though, not only because the owner of the shop was a talented weapon smith with a solid reputation for quality work, but also because he was one of the few shop keepers that did not treat her bad because of her shared past with Orochimaru.

Hayate's complaining had dulled to a low mumble by the time they reached the front entrance to Higurashi's shop, a simple sign of a hammer interposed on the outline of an anvil the only indication that it was anything other than a large home on the densely packed back street. Smoke was coming from the chimney indicating a fire inside, but it lacked the thick black hue that would have told him the owner was working the forge.

That was a good sign, as they would have been forced to wait until he was done working on his latest project before he could have seen them.

Upon opening the door she was greeted with the familiar sight of dark oak walls covered in a massive assortment of weapons. Display cases lined these walls, holding the more commonly requested weapons, while low pine boxes rested beneath them filled with an assortment of bulk necessities like kunai and shuriken.

_Come to think of it, I will need to stock up on those before my next mission,_ Anko reminded herself.

A young girl of maybe five or six years of age looked up at them with expressive brown eyes, the broom held in her hands pausing as she saw the two of them enter the shop. Anko spent a moment to restrain herself from shouting out how cute the child was in her little pink qipao-style blouse, her dark brown hair pulled up in two buns on top of her head that reminded Anko of a little mouse.

Alerted by a small bell hung above the doorway that rang when they entered, the owner of the shop walked out of the back room from behind a curtain, cleaning weapons oil off his hands with a well used cloth rag.

Dan Higurashi was a large man, standing nearly seven feet tall with a solid frame covered with densely packed muscles. He had been forced to retire from the Konoha ninja forces with the rank of Jounin when he had suffered an injury to his lower back while fighting against a group of Iwa (Stone) nin. He was healthy enough even for the physical demands of running his own weapon's shop, but something had happened to his chakra network after the injury that made it so that he could not actively channel chakra anywhere below his waist.

It would have taken the skills of the legendary medic nin Tsunade to return this ability to him, but the woman had not been seen for years and Dan had moved on with his life at this point. After all, even though he could no longer fight, he prided himself with the knowledge that every weapon and tool that he sold in his shop helped defend Konoha just as surely as if he was the one wielding it.

Pausing for a moment as he spotted the unusual sword propped up against Anko's shoulder, Dan tossed the rag he was holding into a nearby bucket and walked behind the counter to greet them.

"What can I do to help you," Dan asked them.

"I'd like to have you inspect my new sword," Anko told him. "I managed to pick this up from a nuke-nin during my last mission, and decided it looked too nice to just leave it lying around."

"Do you know how to use it?" Dan asked her, motioning for her to hand it over.

"Not yet," Anko confessed, handing the saw blade sword over handle first, being careful not to let its teeth get close to her. "But my friend here plans on giving me lessons, and he's pretty damned good with a sword."

"Very good, then," Dan nodded, taking a moment to glance up at Hayate as he lay the sword down on the counter in front of him. "You any good with a sword?"

"They have me teach classes at the Academy when I can be spared from the mission logs," Hayate replied, sounding proud of himself. "I should be able to get this woman to learn at least the basics so that she doesn't end up lopping one of her own limbs off, since she seems to have her heart set on that ugly thing."

"Ugly, you call it?" Dan asked, quirking an eyebrow. "It might not be a traditional katana like you are used to, but I recognize good workmanship when I see it."

During this conversation the small girl had slowly crept towards the counter to get a better look at the sword, a look of keen interest on her face as the bright overhead lights gleamed off the serrated edges of the blade.

"So what made you decide to learn Kenjutsu," Dan asked Anko, his callused hands busy unraveling the ruined cording from the handle of the sword.

"I ended up running out of throwing weapons and was forced into close combat with only a kunai," Anko confessed. "Normally this wouldn't be an issue when only going against bandits and such, but then the guy who used to own this sword came popping up out of nowhere spouting crazy and doing his best to cut me in half."

In that moment, the little girl decided that when she became a ninja, she wouldn't do anything silly like run out of throwing weapons.

"I don't see how he planned on cutting anything in half with that thing," Hayate complained. "With all of those teeth on the blade it would get caught in the first thing you cut and get pulled right out of your hands. I saw it happen already when you got that other nuke-nin off my back."

"That's because she wasn't using it right," Dan interrupted, cutting of Hayate's tirade. "Come over here and take a closer look where the teeth are cut out of the blade. Do you see that sheen of brighter metal inside there?"

"Yeah, I see it," Hayate agreed, leaning forward for a closer look.

"That's Chakra metal," Dan told him. "High quality from the looks of it. There's an outer casing of high carbon steel, the same kind I'm sure your own katana is made from, folded around this inner core of Chakra metal."

"Why would they do that?" Anko asked.

"You see, one of the problems with Chakra metal is that it's a soft metal," Dan explained. "It has to be in order for it to allow a good flow of chakra through it without causing resistance. This means that you can sharpen it all you like, but it has a hard time holding a cutting edge on its own, unlike good steel. A good sword design will have a core of softer metal to give the sword flexibility so that it doesn't break when it hits something hard, like the blade of another swordsman. But you also want an edge of harder metal that you can keep sharp without grinding all the metal away, or else you won't be able to cut anything with it.

"When a proper katana is made a master smith will fold the metal of the blade several times, constantly placing it in a specially prepared bed of coals to get just the right amount of carbon to make the sword strong, but not brittle. They did the exact same thing here, but they started with Chakra metal and folded the high carbon steel around that.

"Normally this would have ruined the blade, because channeling Chakra through regular steel is extremely difficult, even if you did have a core of Chakra metal inside the sword to help you."

Silence filled the weapon shop for a few moments, before Anko snapped her fingers in understanding.

"So that's how Klaus was able to cut those bodies in half," she realized. "With those teeth cut out of the blade, that exposed the stuff inside, allowing him to use his Chakra to increase its cutting power."

"Exactly," Dan nodded. "And unlike a regular Chakra blade with a straight edge, this design would make the Chakra released to mimic the same serrated design. This sword isn't made to simply cut your enemies, it's made to saw them to pieces."

Anko stood for a few moments with a faraway look in her pupil-less tan eyes, a small grin ghosting across her face as she imagined cutting Orochimaru into little bloody pieces with her new sword. While she was in her little fantasy land, Dan finished unwrapping the handle, tossing the blood stained cloth cords to the side for the time being as an inner wrapping of sharkskin was revealed.

Hayate had wondered on the traditional katana grip of the sword during their walk back to Konoha, since it looked out of place when seen on the unusual sword. As he watched Dan remove the shark skin wrap from the handle to reveal what lay beneath it he finally understood why it had not been given a simpler grip.

Blades are usually classified under one of two simple classifications, regardless of the length of the weapon in question. There is half-tang, where the metal of the blade extends about half the length of the handle, and full-tang, where it extends nearly the entire length of the handle itself. Regardless of the length of the tang, the handle itself is typically made of two matched pieces of wood on either side and held in place with rivets driven through both sides to hold this sandwich of materials together.

Once the sharkskin wrap was removed they were able to see that the rivets holding the wood together were made from yet more chakra metal, and were set within thin Chakra metal plates on either side of the handle itself. Under the bright overhead lights of the shop they could see an intricate web of Fuuinjutsu seals engraved upon those metal plates, a dark burgundy substance rubbed within the tracings causing them to stand out in sharp contrast against the shiny metal.

"Well I'll be," Dan muttered, gently placing the sword on the counter before taking a step back. "I knew this sword was special, but this is something else."

"What do you mean?" Anko asked, snapping back to reality.

"It looks like someone went to the trouble of putting a 'nature conversion' seal on these plates, making it so that any Chakra sent through the handle and into the blade will change to Fuuton Chakra, no matter what your own Chakra nature is," Dan explained. "Very useful, but we will have to get it keyed to you after I'm done working on making a matching grip and sheath for it."

"Can't we just use the grip it already has?" Anko asked him.

"Not really, no," he shook his head. "You really want both the handle and the sheath made from the same block of wood, even if you are going to be covering it up with something else. I'll look around my stock to see if I have a suitable piece to work with, something that will match you. Will you still be wearing the same style of coat?"

"Oh this, yeah," Anko said, looking down at her attire. "Might need to get this one cleaned soon though, and take it somewhere to get the holes patched up."

"Good idea," Dan chuckled. "I'll send an invoice to you once I'm done getting it ready for you. You should probably pick up a Bokken before getting lessons from your friend here. Believe me, you don't want to be swinging this sword around anything you don't want cut apart."

"Good point," Hayate muttered, returning to the conversation. "Get yourself a suburito as well for strength training. The heavier training sword will help build up the muscles you will need in order to use a weapon like this correctly. It would be a shame for a work of art like this to be seen in inexpert hands, so expect a lot of sword practice in your future before I'll allow you to go anywhere with it."

"And here I thought you said it was an eyesore," Anko chided, nudging him with her elbow.

"It is an eyesore," Hayate countered, stepping away from her prodding elbow. "But it just so happens that it is a well made, extremely dangerous eyesore, and I would feel safer knowing that there was a better chance that it would be cutting someone apart that we don't particularly care for."

"I knew you cared!" Anko said, trying to loop an arm over his shoulder only for him to dodge out of the way.

"Still not my type, Mitarashi!"

"Right, right," Anko laughed. "How much do you think it will cost to get the work done?"

Looking back down at the sword, Dan thought of everything that needed to be done to get the sword battle ready. The width and serrations on the blade would require a larger block of wood for the sheath, and he would have to factor in the sawing effect the sword would have when drawn from the sheath.

Luckily, the serrations ended about three inches from the chisel tip of the blade, which would help it clear the neck of the sheath. It would still take time for him to come up with a proper design, since they did not have the original sheath for him to steal the design from.

Then there was the work to get her attuned to the nature conversion seals engraved in the plates on the handle. That would require calling in a favor from someone better trained in Fuuinjutsu than he was, and paying for their time as well.

"I would say one hundred and eighty thousand ryo for parts and labor," he told her honestly. "Maybe more for the work on getting the seals attuned to your chakra, depending on who I'm able to call up to help us with that."

Anko winced while Hayate started coughing, both of them shocked at the price tag.

Both of them had known that getting custom work of this level done would not be cheap, but that would take most of the money she had been paid earlier. Luckily, that would still leave her enough to pay for her living expenses, plus some extra for some high quality roasted peanuts.

"I also need to buy ten Kunai and twenty Shuriken to fill my equipment pouch," Anko said, pulling her storage scroll out. "How much extra would it be to buy those, and the training swords?"

"Kunai and Shuriken are made in bulk, the same as Bokken and Suburito," Dan replied. "All together that will come up to another fifteen thousand ryo."

Nodding, Anko rolled open her storage scroll on the counter top next to the bare blade of her now very expensive sword. Under the watchful gaze of the shop owner, she unsealed the contents of the scroll, a small puff of Chakra mist fading to reveal the neatly stacked ryo notes she had gotten less than an hour ago for her bounty.

Pulling a single bundle of five thousand ryo from the stack, she pushed the rest of the money onto the dark oak counter, looking visibly pained to let that much money go after holding on to it for such a brief moment of time. While Dan began counting the money that had just been dropped before him, Hayate walked over to where several barrels filled with wooden training weapons sat beneath a display on the far wall to pick out a good set of bokken for his new student.

Nobody paid any attention as little Tenten's eyes grew as she saw Anko unseal the money from the scroll, not knowing how this day would forever change the course of the little girls future career as a Ninja. With the knowledge that throwing weapons could keep your enemies at a distance, and you could store even that large of a stack of money in a scroll that still weighed no more than the paper that it was made from, she realized that there was no reason for her to ever run out of throwing weapons like this woman had.

"How long do you think it will take to get my sword ready?" Anko asked after Dan finished counting the money.

"I would ask that you give me two weeks," the smith replied. "I could get it done faster, but for quality work we both want me to take my time with it. It will also take some work to find someone local who can help get the seal work looked at for us."

"No hurry," Anko nodded. "It will take some time for the cuts on my arm to heal anyway, and I doubt that my new 'sensei' will let me start swinging my new masterpiece around any time soon."

"You've got that right," Hayate told her as he placed the two wooden swords on the counter, the thicker suburito thumping as it met the oak surface. "Now, if you don't mind, I have some unwanted memories to repress. If you need to find me over the next few days, I suggest you start your search at the bar."

"Are you still going on about-"

"Don't say that name," Hayate interrupted her, his glare intensified by the bags beneath his eyes.

"Okay then," Anko nodded.

After a tense moment, Hayate nodded back, and made his way towards the exit.

Picking up the two training swords and holding them beneath her good arm, Anko gave the shop owner a parting thanks, waving goodbye over her shoulder as she followed Hayate out of the shop and into the streets of Konoha. It was only a short walk from here to her home, and the sooner she got cleaned up the sooner she could get to the market to buy some fresh roasted peanuts for tomorrow.

After all, she still needed to give thanks to the spirit of the Badger for bringing her home. Better make it a good offering too, now that she knew how awesome her new sword was.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Naruto franchise, nor any of the other series I will be drawing inspiration from in this fanfiction. This is a work of fiction created purely for enjoyment, and no money shall be gained in its production.

**Author Note:** Back with Naruto, yay!

I know things are going a little slow in the story right now, but there will be a few time-skips coming up soon to move things along. This chapter is actually one I have simultaneously dreading and looking forward to for quite some time, and is actually the main reason we have had so many scenes with Anko in them so we can get some background set up ahead of time.

* * *

**BADGER**

**Chapter 11**

* * *

Naruto sat next to Momma Badger in the lower chamber of the sett, the glowing roots of the Chakra Tree revealing the contents of three large jars resting on the hay in front of them.

Even though there was still some food to be found outside in the forest, they started each day by choosing one of the jars to take outside with them to eat, being careful not to eat inside to make sure that their sett stayed clean. Today they were deciding between what looked like thin slices of carrot, potatoes cut up into one inch cubes, and wedges of something in a reddish liquid with a label calling them beets.

Looking over to Momma Badger for guidance, he saw her stick her nose out to examine the jar of carrots, having eaten those before and trusting it more than whatever was in the other jars. Seeing the decision made, Naruto put the other two jars back on the pile against the far wall, the clink of glass echoing against the earthen walls surrounding them.

As he was doing this Momma Badger had already collected the jar they had chosen, tucking it under her chin so that she could push it with the front of her forelimbs as she made her way through the tunnels of the sett, the same way she carried out old bedding from the sett. Pausing at the edge of the chamber, she looked back over her shoulder to make sure that he was following her, the white stripes on her face standing out against the dark tunnel behind her.

"Coming, Momma Badger," Naruto told her, the toes of his oversized sandals dragging on the floor as he crawled in her direction.

The tunnel was soon filled with sound as they made their way towards the exit, the sound of the jar rolling along the dirt floor barely audible over the sound of Naruto's short-sleeved jacket rubbing against the net shirt underneath, while the insides of his pants legs rubbed against each other as he crawled along behind her. They soon reached the intersection where the tunnel split, branching off on one side to the chamber they slept in, while the other branch headed down at a slight angle to the main entrance.

A smile broke across Naruto's face as he saw sunlight at the end of the tunnel as he followed Momma Badger out of the sett and on to the mound of packed dirt that acted as their front step.

Naruto took a moment to enjoy the warmth of the sun on his face as it shined down from on the hillside through the nearly bare branches of the trees. It was a rare break from the clouds and rain that had visited them over the last few days, and those birds brave enough not to migrate south were dancing in the air above the forest, their joyful song celebrating the fleeting warmth.

Naruto sat down on the packed dirt and accepted the jar from Momma Badger, taking a moment to wipe his hands on his pants to get rid of some of the dirt from his short crawl. With a grunt of effort he twisted the lid of the jar off, the black ink of the Fuuinjutsu preservation seals on the top fading quickly as he sat it to the side.

Looking inside he saw that there was about an inch of water covering the sliced carrots in the jar. Giving it a few sniffs, he thought the water smelled okay, unlike the bitter stuff the eggs and pickles had in them. Since he was kind of thirsty, he held the edge of the jar up to his mouth to take a sip.

"Pfwah!" Naruto shouted, dropping the jar on the ground as he turned his head to spit the salty water out, Momma Badger barking in dismay at her kit's reaction.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," Naruto assured her, wiping his mouth on the back of his arm. "It's just really salty."

She spent a few more moments examining him, her strong digging paws resting heavy on his leg as she stuck her nose in his face and sniffed at his mouth, making sure he hadn't ingested anything that would hurt him. Finally satisfied that he wasn't poisoned, she slumped her weight back on to the ground, her paws creating a small splatter of mud from where the salty water had spilled out of the jar when it fell.

Shuffling forward, she examined the small avalanche of carrot slices, her nose twitching as she sniffed at the spilled food. With an almost dainty movement, she picked up one of the slices in her mouth and began eating it, moving it back to her sharp molars to chew it up better. Seeing Momma Badger take another bite of the vegetables, Naruto decided that it must be safe, and started to help himself, his stomach rumbling in hunger despite his failed attempt to drink the brine.

Between the two of them it did not take long for them to finish off the rest of the carrots, leaving an empty jar and a patch of wet ground where the brine had spilled out. Naruto was the first to stop eating, his stomach still not used to having this much food available after the small portions given to him at the orphanage.

Licking her jowls, Momma Badger looked around the area with dark brown eyes, clearly deciding what to do next. After a few moments she lifted herself off the ground and took a few steps away from where they had been sitting in front of their sett, pausing to give him a soft purring sound, which he knew meant she wanted him to follow her.

Licking his own lips, he realized that he was very thirsty from eating the salty carrots, and figured that she was going to take them to the river to get a drink. Pushing himself off the ground Naruto picked up the jar at his feet, making a face as he remembered the taste of the brine he had tried to drink, and wishing he didn't have to walk all the way to the river for a drink.

A sudden thought came to the boy, causing him to blink in surprise as he stared down at the empty jar.

"Hey, what if we fill the jar with water from the river?" Naruto asked his Momma Badger. "Then we wouldn't have to walk all the way to the river when we needed to get a drink!"

While she didn't understand his words, she knew that he was happy about something, causing her to bounce a bit on her paws as she made a birdlike clucking sound like the soft call of a duck.

"You're right," Naruto nodded. "I'll bring this jar with us so we can fill it up while we're out."

Not wanting to lose the lid he closed the jar back up before tucking it under his arm, and began to follow behind Momma Badger as she led the way down the hill.

As they reached the bottom Naruto realized that the ground was still very wet from the heavy rains that had fallen over the last few days, hidden beneath a fresh carpet of loose leaves that had blown off the trees from the wind that had chased the clouds away. It was cooler in the small valley at the bottom of the hill, the sun's warm light cut up by the shadows of the bare tree branches like black lace on a canvas of autumn colors painted in red, orange, yellow, and brown.

It was at times like this that Naruto was jealous of Momma Badger's wide frame, the spread of her four paws allowing her to amble along the tops of the slippery leaves, while he fought to keep his feet from sliding out from under him. Having walked with Momma Badger every single day since being brought into her home, Naruto had gotten plenty of practice keeping his balance, and thankfully didn't fall on his face while following her on their way towards the river.

By the time they took a break at one of their latrines that bordered Momma Badger's territory the sound of the nearby river had gotten loud enough to cover the sound of the birds that still danced in the skies overhead.

Distracted by the thought of drinking cool, non-salty water, he didn't notice the leaves sinking slightly beneath Momma Badger's weight as she walked ahead of him. As soon as he took the next step his foot sunk into the muddy ground with a disturbing slorp, causing Naruto to shout in surprise as he flung his arms out for balance, jar forgotten.

Hearing her kit's shout, Momma Badger turned around with a growl, expecting to see him under attack. Jogging over with a dangerous look in her eyes she glared at where his foot was sunk ankle-deep in the soggy mud, the cloth top of his sandal peeking above the dark brown surface.

Realizing that he didn't have enough strength to pull his foot out by pulling on his leg, Naruto bent down and grabbed on the top of his sandal to help pry himself loose. Thankfully his other foot was on more solid ground, allowing him to throw his weight to his good side. Seeing what her kit was trying to do, Momma Badger leaned her head down and gently grabbed on the cloth of the sandal with her sharp front teeth, adding her strength to his.

Unable to stand up to their combined strength, the mud finally released its prisoner with a loud pop of displaced air, causing Naruto to fall back with a yelp at the sudden lack of resistance, Momma Badger tumbling in the opposite direction as the foot suddenly rose up from beneath her.

It took a few moments for the world to stop spinning for Naruto before he realized that he had fallen butt first into another puddle of mud, splashing his lower back from beneath the edge of his short sleeved jacket. Momma Badger righted herself nearby, clearing her head with a quick shake before looking over at him to make sure that he wasn't hurt.

"I'm okay," Naruto told her, upset with himself for falling over like that.

Standing up he started to brush at his clothes before giving up with a grunt, the mud and leaves stuck to him more than he could clean with just his hands. Luckily experience had taught him that it didn't take much effort to clean them in the river, and they were headed there anyway.

Looking around he quickly spotted the glass jar, sighing in relief as he spotted it in a thick pile of leaves less than a foot away from a rock that would have broken it. Carefully testing each step he made his way over to the jar and tucked it back beneath his arm under the watchful gaze of Momma Badger before making his way over to her side.

Giving him another once over, her gaze resting for a moment at the dirt and leaves covering his not-fur, she gave a soft snort before leading the way over the hill that separated them from the river.

As they came over the rise of the hill the stretch of the river was revealed to them, the angry gray water risen high on the rocky banks, fed by the rains that had fallen on the hills around Konoha over the last several days. In some places the water brushed against the exposed roots of plants on the far shore from where the sudden flooding had caused washouts, slowly eating away at the soil below them.

Weary of damaging the jar that he had managed to carry this far, and not wanting a repeat of his earlier slip in the mud, Naruto kept a careful watch on his step as he followed Momma Badger across the river-worn boulders and rocks that formed the shoreline on their side of the river. They were on the inner bend of the river as it wound in a gentle curve past them, disappearing behind the tree line several hundred feet away on either side of them.

Catching a familiar scent in the air, Naruto stopped for a moment and looked up the river to see the familiar antlers of the buck as he stood guard over the small group of does. The female deer were taking turns drinking from the river, the water moving much slower at the shoreline because of the rocks slowing it down. Looking down to avoid the buck's gaze, Naruto continued following Momma Badger to their own piece of the shoreline.

Kneeling down he carefully removed the lid from the jar once more, sitting it on a flat rock several feet from the waterline to keep it from falling in and getting lost.

Grabbing the lip of the jar in one hand, and holding on the base with his other, he lowered it into the water, struggling for a moment to keep his grip as the cold rain-fed water pulled on the container. Remembering when he used to clean his drinking cup back at the orphanage he lifted the jar out of the water and poured it back out into the river, repeating the process several times to rinse it out so that he didn't have a repeat of the salty brine taste.

Satisfied that he had cleaned it enough he filled it up halfway and held it up to his mouth so he could take a drink, the cold water quickly rinsing away the taste of salt and carrots that had clung to his tongue. Lowering the jar with a satisfied sigh, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the gentle breeze that blew across the river.

Hearing Momma Badger's inquisitive grunt, he opened his eyes and looked down to see Momma Badger standing next to him, her gaze intent on the jar in his hands. Bending down he held the jar at an angle so that she could look inside, the opening of the jar just wide enough for her to stick her snout in. Smelling the water in the jar she began to drink from it, her tongue darting out to bring the water into her mouth.

Since she had already drunk some water directly from the river it did not take her long to finish drinking, pulling her snout from the jar and sitting back on her haunches. Moments later she began to groom her fur, trying to remove the dirt and leaves that had stuck to her from her brief roll caused by his foot getting freed from the mud. Pausing for a moment, she looked at his own mud and leaf covered body with a pointed gaze as if saying 'you can clean that mess up on your own, kit'.

"Yeah, yeah, I getcha," Naruto grumbled.

Looking at the flat rock he noticed it was about the same height as a chair. Placing the half-empty jar of water next to its lid he sat down and began removing his sandals, making a face at how much mud had entered in from the open heel and toe of the shoes.

He had no idea why they designed shoes like that, as it only made it easier for leaves and rocks to get caught in there with your feet. Still, they were the only shoes he had, and it was better than nothing.

Standing back up he walked the few feet over to the water's edge with his shoes in hand and kneeled down on the rocky shore. Making sure to keep a good grip he cleaned first one sandal, then the other, removing all the dirt and leaves from them before walking back to the flat stone to put them there to dry in the sunlight.

His clothes soon followed suit, starting first with his jacket, then his net shirt, and finally his pants. Not knowing of the Fuuinjutsu seals hidden in the hem of his stolen clothes he still enjoyed how easy they were to clean, the dirt quickly rinsing off in the water.

Luckily, the seals were designed to prevent dirt from working its way into the cloth of the clothes, and to wick excess moisture away from the wearer. As soon as the clothes were rinsed off and laying in the sun on top of the flat rock, drying quickly with the light breeze that blew across the river.

Seeing the dirt stuck to his own body, Naruto grabbed a handful of moss from the top of another rock and waded in until he was knee-deep in the water and sat down. Hissing at the feel of the cold water on his skin, he quickly began to scrub his body, using the moss as a sponge to help get himself clean quicker.

Although he didn't notice, his body was much fitter than it had been while living in the village, thanks to sleeping beneath the roots of the chakra tree with Hachimitsu's Doton Chakra running through him each night, combined with running around the forest every day with Momma Badger, and finally getting enough to eat thanks to the food they had found in that cabin. While only a short period of time had passed, more subtle changes were taking effect as well, like the roots of his hair growing in silver instead of the bright sun-yellow he had been born with, and a subtle widening of his frame as his body began to grow stockier.

It would take more than just a few weeks for all these changes to become noticeable, and the child himself had no idea how these changes would affect him in the future.

"I think I'd like to hang out at the tree today," Naruto told Momma Badger as he climbed out of the water, finished with cleaning himself. "Maybe tomorrow we'll bring two jars, to make sure we have something to drink in case it's really rainy outside so we don't have to get all wet and cold."

Momma Badger waited for him to fill the jar up with water and close it up before leading him back towards their home, leaving the shores of the river empty once more, the deer having already left while he was bathing.

* * *

Anko Mitarashi stood in the shower in her small studio apartment, her skin feeling raw beneath the hot water beating down on her from the shower head.

She had learned the hard way that the lingering scent of snakes that clung to her still made it nearly impossible to get close enough to a badger to give peanuts to them. She had learned from Jiraiya that this was a side-effect of the Cursed Seal that Orochimaru had put on the back of her neck, yet another reason for her to hate the traitorous Snake Sage for all he had done to her.

Frustrated with having badgers flee from her, she had almost given up on being able to properly thank the Spirit of the Badger when she had stumbled upon a young Inuzuka woman in the forest without her Ninken, a small badger sitting on the ground at her feet nibbling on a pile of roasted peanuts. Knowing that the animal should have fled at the scent of the large wolf-dogs that the Inuzuka had as their companions, she later asked the woman how she had been able to get so close to the same badger that had earlier fled from Anko's presence.

Much to Anko's chagrin the answer had been fairly simple, and came in the form of a special blend of scent-free soap and baking soda used to bathe with. The gritty texture of the baking soda helped exfoliate the skin, while the soap helped rinse everything away, lifting the natural body oils that carried much of the body's scent.

Taking the Inuzuka's advice she had tried it out the next time she went out into the forest, and had been amazed when she was finally able to approach a small family of badgers.

A small jar sat on the shelf in the shower filled with the soap that the Inuzuka had given to her, looking more like a gray sandy paste than anything. Dipping her left hand into the jar she scraped some of the soap out, bringing it up to the cuts on her arm and gently rubbing it into the skin there, being careful not to touch her new stitches.

Thanks to the miracle of Medical Jutsu, the cuts themselves had all but disappeared, leaving behind three lines of angry red skin from where her body had fought against the infection. Turning her body around in the shower the let the hot water rinse the soap away, hissing as it beat down on the sensitive skin that had just been rubbed with the coarse soap.

Putting her head beneath the water she gave her hair one last rinse before cutting off the shower, taking a moment to wring the excess water out with her hands before opening up the curtain so that she could grab a towel to dry herself off with.

The towel, like the clothes she was going to wear, had to be washed with scent neutralizing soap as well. She had never even thought of all the small things that could give your presence away to a sensitive nose before, and she had to wonder how many other Ninja even thought of that, in spite of their skill and training in stealth.

Pausing as she toweled off the back of her neck, she spent another brief moment cursing Orochimaru for the seal on her neck that made all of this necessary. She had seen farmers in every-day clothes, sweaty from a day's labor in the field, be able to get close enough to a badger to gift them without having to take even one of the precautions she had to take. Yet another thing to hate the snake bastard for.

Stepping out of the shower she made her way over to her sink, turning so that she could inspect the cuts on her arm in her reflection.

Nodding in satisfaction, she draped her towel over her shoulders to catch the water still dripping from her hair even after rubbing it dry, grimacing as she spotted the jar of antibiotic pills sitting on the counter. Picking up a small ceramic cup that sat next to her toothbrush she filled it with cold water from the tap before grabbing one of the pills and putting it beneath her tongue, quickly drinking from the cup to wash it down her throat before it could begin to dissolve in her mouth.

Placing the cup back on the counter with a click, she picked up a roll of fresh gauze and began to bandage her arm once more, her now practiced after having bandaged herself several times over the last few days. Finished with the bandage, she pulled the towel from her shoulders and have her hair a final rub down to dry it off before pulling it up into her usual topknot, securing it with a hair tie to keep it out of the way, her bangs falling down over her forehead.

Nodding to her own reflection, the Kunoichi made her way out of the bathroom and into the single room of her studio apartment, the fresh air blowing in from the open window ensuring that the usual smell of her living space would not cling to her too strongly. Light from the open window reflected off the glass eyes of her large Hachimitsu plushy, the massive bulk of the stuffed honey badger taking nearly half of her full-sized mattress for itself.

"Hello Hachimitsu-sama," Anko greeted the plushy out of habit.

She had washed all of her clothes the night before after returning from the market with a bag of roasted peanuts for today's offering. Looking down into the basket she sorted through her laundry, the layers of cloth covered in a loose powdering of baking soda to remove any remaining scent during the night.

Finding her skirt she pulled it out of the basket and held it up in the light before making a face, seeing that the stains from her journey had set into the cloth, her skirt lacking the seals she had paid for on her treasured trench coat. Deciding that it would take more time and effort to try to remove the stains from her skirt than it would cost to buy a new one she tossed it to the side, and began to dig through her laundry once more.

After a few moments her hands found one of her net body stockings. Pulling it out revealed that it was in good shape, though the black mesh was covered in several patches of white from the baking soda. Taking the body stocking with her back into the bathroom she balled it up in her hands before turning on the sink and letting the water soak into the net cloth.

Squeezing the body stocking several times to let the water rinse out the baking soda she finally turned off the faucet before giving the clothing one last squeeze to remove as much water as she could from it. Shaking it out she hung it from the shower curtain rod, leaving it to air-dry as she walked back to her laundry basket.

Digging through her clothes once more, she found a pair of tan cargo pants that should be comfortable enough for her hike. Thinking over how miserable she had been on their walk back from the coast, she had to wonder if maybe she should compromise a bit on the 'Sexy Kunoichi' style she had been trying to develop.

Filing that thought away for later, she fished her trench coat out of the basket, giving it a quick shake to knock off the powder of baking soda so that she could inspect it. Thanks to the seals sewn into the hems of the jacket, at great expense on a Chuunin's normal wages mind you, the mud and blood from the mission had washed out without any issue. She would still need to take the time to sew up the small cuts on her sleeve with some needle and thread before it started to fray, but it was in perfect condition for what she needed today.

Laying the coat down on her bed next to her pants, she fished around until she found a pair of underwear, pulling them on before she walked back into the bathroom once more to grab the body stocking from where she had just hung it on the shower curtain rod. Feeling the netting in her hands she nodded to herself, the mesh having dried quickly even in the humid air of the shower thanks to the seals hidden in the trim.

Stepping into the mesh body stocking she pulled it up until she could slide her arms into the sleeves. A long zipper ran up her spine to the back of her neck, a small ribbon of black canvas allowing her to pull it closed behind her back. Stretching around and pulling at some of the mesh to make sure that it was aligned correctly, she nodded at her own reflection with a smirk.

"Yep, still sexy!" Anko told her reflection.

Gently picking up her badger pendant from the corner of her bathroom counter she pulled the leather cord over her head, taking a moment to make sure that the bone disk settled on the mesh covering her cleavage. Next she picked up her Hitai-ate, pushing her bangs up with one hand as she placed the cloth backing of the metal plate against her forehead, her hair falling down to half-cover the leaf engraved on the front as she tied it securely in the back.

Walking back over to her bed she quickly pulled her pants on, taking a moment to weave her belt through the belt loops, the y-shaped upper loop hugging the top of her mesh-covered hip helping support the weight of the equipment pouch that rested on her lower back. Feeling slightly uncomfortable and claustrophobic with wearing pants after spending so many days in her skirt she did a few stretches to remind herself that she had full mobility in case it was needed.

Sitting down on her bed she pulled on her ninja sandals, taking a moment to tuck the bottoms of her pants legs into the top of the sandals before sealing them up, the cloth tops of the sandals covering the lower half of her legs. Satisfied that her pants would stay secure without tying bandages around her calves, she stood up and pulled on her jacket.

Looking around her room, she wished she had been able to get a better place to live, the cramped confines of her studio apartment barely large enough to fit her and her meager belongings. Maybe if she got some higher paying missions like the one she had just come back from she could finally afford something better.

Sighing, she walked over to the open window, glancing up at the clear blue sky with a faint smile before sliding the window closed, and shutting the curtains. Looking around to make sure she hadn't missed anything, grabbing the small bag of roasted peanuts from her end table and dropping it in the pocket of her trench coat.

"Okay, that should be everything," Anko nodded to herself, making her way over to the door to her apartment. "See ya, Hachimitsu-sama!"

* * *

Sarutobi sat deep in thought in his office at the top of the Hokage Tower, his eyes shadowed beneath the brim of his hat as he clasped his hands in front of his mouth to keep them still. While he was nicknamed 'The Professor' he always considered himself a man of action, and it pained him to sit there unable to do anything.

While it was doubtful that anyone outside his most trusted ANBU knew, it had now been six weeks since Naruto had first gone missing, and he felt as if he got a year older as every day passed by without news of the child's well being.

In order to keep this a secret he had ordered a small group of ANBU to trade off acting as the child under Henge throughout the village, going so far as to rent a small apartment with official village funds for 'Naruto' to live in. It was doubtful that this ruse would last forever, but if any of their enemies found out that the Jinchuuriki of the Nine Tails was missing it could doom their village.

Sarutobi could only believe that the boy still lived, knowing from previous reports that if a Jinchuuriki died its Bijuu would reform, and there had been no panicked reports of a giant mass of angry Youki roaming the wilds. He could only hope that the child he considered an unofficial grandson was warm and safe, wherever he was right now.

He wanted nothing more than to send Tsume Inuzuka back out into the wilderness with her Ninken to search for the boy, but that would have to wait for now.

The escalating conflict with Hidden Cloud had required that he send out his best trackers to patrol the border that Fire shared with the nearby nation of Hot Springs. There had been several recent hit-and-run attacks against the villages along that border, but he couldn't send his Ninja in force to root out their enemy as it would be seen as an attack against their neighbor.

Letting out a heartfelt sigh, the Third Hokage looked down at the documents laying on the desk in front him, turning his mind back to the business at hand.

At his request the mission office had reported to him immediately when Anko Mitarashi and Hayate Gekko had returned from their bandit-killing mission down in the south. Their mission scroll now sat in front of him, the careful calligraphy in the after action report written at the end of the scroll obviously written in Hayate's hand, as Anko's handwriting left much to be desired.

Their plan had been well thought out, using Anko's skill at thrown weapons to take out targets at a distance while Hayate used his Chameleon Genjutsu to get in close to make use of his skills with a sword. Against your average bandit camp, even one of this size, their well coordinated attack looked perfect on paper.

What bothered the Hokage was that they had continued with the mission at all even after seeing how off the intelligence reports had been regarding their numbers.

While it was true that if it had not been for the Nuke-nin that ambushed them in the camp the mission would have turned out an undeniable success. Unfortunately, this also meant that their plan had left little room to spare for the unforeseen, and as any experienced fighter could tell you no plan ever survives first contact with the enemy.

Having taken the time last evening to go over their service records to get a better feel for the two, he decided that their decision to continue with their mission had less to do with pride, and more to do with wanting to make sure that they got the job done. Previous missions had shown that both of them knew when to flee from conflict, it was just an unfortunate chance that their first joint mission together had turned from an average C-Ranked mission into a B-Rank, almost borderline A-Ranked mission.

While it was noted that Hayate spent most of his free time training his Kenjutsu, he showed none of the sociopathic signs seen with many of the so-called 'prodigies' that might lead to them becoming a danger to themselves and their fellow Leaf-nin. Most notably, the young man was often joined in his training by a fellow Chuunin by the name of Yugao Uzuki, who had developed into a friendly rival to his skill with a sword.

Anko, on the other hand, worried him.

Whatever technique his former student Orochimaru had used to place the seal on her neck had done massive damage to her mind, cutting gaping holes in her memories and nearly destroying her personality. Several of her more dominate personality traits she now showed had been adopted from what few memories she had of her dead brother, and the suspicion and hostility she often faced in the village made it hard for her to gain new friends.

It was only after the Festival last year that she had begun showing signs of recovering from her mental and emotional scars. Looking in to the matter showed that she had discovered the 'Spirit of the Badger' as many were calling it, which many in the village had turned to in the dark days following the Kyuubi attack.

Forgoing the Taijutsu taught to her by Orochimaru, and any Jutsu involving snakes of any kind, her skill as a Ninja had taken a major hit. Most Ninja tended not to re-train themselves once they had picked a specialization as it was difficult to retrain your reflexes after years of practice, and you lost out on all of the time spent learning those hard earned skills.

There was hope for her yet, though, as he had received a report late in the evening from the man in charge of taking bounties, reporting that they had received a confirmed bounty on Sakura 'Klaus' Furusaki, who Jiraiya had mentioned in his last report. This confirmed what Hayate had written about Anko taking the Nuke-nin out on her own, before continuing to help him with his own Nuke-nin problem.

He had received one final, unexpected report from a retired Jounin turned smith named Dan Higurashi, who owned and operated his own weapons shop in the village. Both Chuunin had visited his shop shortly after leaving the Assignment Office with their pay, and Anko had handed over the sword she had taken from the now dead Klaus, along with most of the bounty she had received for her kill.

Reading what the smith had written once more, Sarutobi could only shake his head in amusement at the situation. Leave it to that brash young woman to leave on a C-Ranked mission, and return with what could only be a masterpiece.

Just reading the description of how the blade was built made him wonder just who had made it, and where it had come from. It was hard to imagine a sword like that wandering around the Elemental Nations without stories of it being passed around.

According to the smith's notes, Hayate had spoken of training Anko how to use her new sword. If Anko proved to be an able student of the man's art, armed with what might soon be known as a legendary blade, the village could very well profit from gaining a new Kenjutsu Mistress.

His mind still turned back to worrying about their reason for continuing with their much more dangerous mission though, and he decided to have a meeting with the two of them to get a better feel for them in person before making any decisions. Knowing that they had to be tired having just returned to the village, he wrote a note to have the ANBU request their presence the following day.

Hopefully, Hayate would have slept off his hangover by that point.

* * *

Basking in the warmth of the sun Anko made her way through the village, her pupil-less tan eyes gazing on the familiar tile rooftops of Konoha. It was nice being back in the village instead of wandering half way across the nation, and she considered it a good omen that her first day back was gifted with a cloudless sky after several days of cold and rain.

Humming a random song she made her way towards one of the side-gates of Konoha, ignoring the occasional glare and mutter from suspicious villagers and fellow Ninja who only knew her from her relationship with her former sensei. Giving off an air of calm confidence, she knew that the best revenge she could have on the ignorant masses was to never show how much their cold eyes hurt her.

As she neared the gates she spotted Izumo standing outside the small guardhouse, the Chuunin looking half-awake as he stood guard. Once she got closer she could hear the sounds of soft snoring as another Chuunin sat inside the guardhouse leaning back in a wooden chair with their feet propped up on the single desk inside.

Spotting her approach, Izumo stamped his sandaled foot several times on the outside wall to wake up his partner, causing Anko to grin as she heard more than saw the other man fall back in his chair and hit the floor with a short yell.

"Headed out on business?" Izumo asked her, doing his best to maintain eye contact.

"Just for a short hike in the hills today," Anko replied.

"Good weather for it," Izumo nodded, accepting the logbook from a bleary eyed Kotetsu. "Name and rank?"

"Anko Mitarashi, Chuunin," she replied.

Nodding, the guard poked his head inside the guardhouse to read the clock on the wall, noting the time next to her name in the logbook. Looking at the time he wrote in the log, Anko saw that it was just before mid-day, giving her plenty of time left for a quick trip into the forest to find and feed a badger before it got cold out.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you get assigned to an easy job like gate duty?" Anko asked the man.

Pausing as he handed the logbook back over to Kotetsu, he spared a long suffering look with his friend before turning back to respond.

"We were both assigned permanent duty here when the other man from our Gennin team got dismissed for leaving this gate unguarded during the last Kyuubi Festival," the unfortunate Chuunin responded. "Believe me, I wish I was out there doing something with myself instead of standing around here."

"Ouch," Anko winced. "Am I free to go?"

"Yeah, have fun," Izumo nodded, returning to lean against the wall of the guardhouse.

Waving goodbye to her fellow Leaf Chuunin, Anko walked through the open gates, leaving the village behind as she made her way along the path that led up into the forested hills beyond its earthen walls.

Used to seeing the trees during the summertime covered in leaves, it was amazing how different everything looked when the branches were bare like this. Even though winter had only just begun, she was already looking forward to when spring came around and turned the world green once more.

Leaving the beaten path behind, she channeled a small amount of Chakra through her sandaled feet into the ground, using a modified version of the water-walking exercise to keep the muddy ground firm beneath her feet. Thankfully she had regained the rest of her Chakra reserves after a decent night's sleep in her own bed.

Taking a deep breath she stretched her arms above her head, eyes squinting in the sunlight as she enjoyed the calm air of the forest surrounding her.

Noticing a patch of bare wood where the bark had been scraped from the trunk of a nearby tree, she dropped her arms with a sigh and made her way over to the base of the tree. Kneeling down she reached her hand out and carefully felt the texture of the wood, noting that it hadn't been made by any metal tools. Checking the ground below she spotted several patches of brown velvet buried amongst the fragments of bark that littered the forest floor.

Realizing that the scraped bark had been left behind by a male deer scraping the velvet off is antlers, she judged that the buck must have wandered here from the nearby Nara clan forests. It was mating season for the deer after all, and the bucks would be constantly competing with each other to stake their claim on the fertile does as they wandered in search of food.

She would have to keep an eye out to make sure that she didn't get in the deer's way, as the Nara wouldn't be happy with her if she happened to hurt one of them in 'self defense' so close to their land. The last thing she wanted was for someone on the Ninja Council to have a reason to be angry with her.

Remembering that she had last seen the badger she was looking for closer to the river, she stood back up and continued to make her way through the forest. Birds danced in the air overhead as she got further into the hills, their joyful songs filling the forest around her.

Stopping at the top of a heavily wooded hill Anko closed her eyes, her arms folded across her chest to ward off the chill air that filled the shadows of the trees as she listened to the sounds of the forest. Above the song of the birds she heard the faint roar of rushing water, sounding much too loud to be a small stream, but not loud enough to be coming from a waterfall.

Judging that she was still heading in the right direction, she cut between the trees littering the hillside, being careful not to let the branches catch on the sleeves of her trench coat. Thankfully it was cool enough that she hadn't worked up a sweat from hiking so far into the hills, which would have ruined the effort she put into neutralizing her snake scent.

Cutting across a small game trail she spotted several more signs that deer had passed through. Here a small pile of droppings, there a patch of rubbed bark with a tuft of tell-tale antler velvet stuck to the damp grass below.

A gentle breeze blew along the game trail, carrying the scent of damp vegetation and rich soil with it as she made her way across the forest floor. Judging that the game trail led more or less towards the river she decided to follow it for a while, keeping her eyes alert in case she ran across anything else following the same path.

Following the game trail as it wound along what looked like an overgrown stream bed she came to a sharp bend leading between two small hills. Following the bend she paused for a moment as she came across a sun-lit clearing at the base of a larger hill, the ground covered in a riot of fall colored leaves.

Several small saplings competed with each other on the sides of the hill, but it was easy to see who had won the completion for best tree. At the very top of the hill a much larger tree stood, its trunk easily four feet across at the base with roots as thick as her leg digging deep into the dark soil below.

As she stood admiring the view a flash of movement caught her eye, revealing the black and white striped fur of a badger as it sunned itself at the base of the large tree. From this far away she could tell that it was a full-grown adult, its gray body measuring about three feet without the tail. If this was the same badger she had spotted during the summer, then it had definitely gained a few pounds during the fall season.

She was about to make her way into the clearing when her keen eye spotted something in the branches of the tree above the badger. Squinting her eyes she saw that it was a small child sitting on a wide branch with their back turned in her direction, their legs dangling in the air below them.

Curious as to why a child would be this deep into the hills, since it had taken over an hour for her to get this far at a walking speed, she decided to get a closer look at who she had found. Being careful to stay downwind of the badger lounging at the base of the tree, she made her way along the edge of the clearing until she had closed nearly half the distance before couching down in the shade of the branches.

From her new vantage point she could see a symbol made of dark blue cloth sewn to the back of the child's short sleeved gray jacket, a thick circle with a vertical line running from top to bottom. Recognizing the symbol and the design of the jacket as being typical of the Nara clan, it now made more sense for the child to have found their way here in the forest, as it was a much shorter walk to get here from the Nara forest reserves nearby.

What threw her off was his pale blond hair, which was a trait rarely seen inside the village outside of the Yamanaka clan. Knowing of the Ina-Shika-Cho group from her time at the academy, she wondered if maybe a Yamanaka and a Nara had gotten together to have a kid.

But if there had been a child like that you would think that it would be the talk of the village, as unions between different clans were quite rare as they usually wanted to keep their bloodlines strong. It was common for clan members to either marry within their own ranks, or to have children with civilians that lacked a bloodline of their own.

Her musing was cut short when the child began making their way down the tree, the strength of their small body obvious in the way they easily made their way from branch to branch. As they turned she caught a glimpse of the child face, their bright blue eyes shining in the light of the sun above a grin that stretched their cheeks. She had a brief moment to wonder about the three black lines that traced down his cheeks before he dropped down from the lowest branch of the tree, landing on the dozing badger.

Anko's heart skipped a beat as she saw the badger twist around with a sharp bark, having seen what damage a wild badger could do to an animal when she came across two of them fighting once. She was about to rush in to break the two apart when she realized with a start that the sounds they were making were not from fighting, but from play.

Her hand fell limp from where she had been reaching for her equipment pouch as she watched the two of them wrestling at the base of the tree, the sound of the child's giggles warring with the barks and warbling chatter coming from the large badger. It was soon apparent that neither of them needed her protection, as the worst damage being done was tussled clothes and fur, the boy quickly letting go with an apology when he caught the badger's stubby ear in his teeth.

Reaching up to touch the bone badger pendant that hang from her neck, Anko decided that it was the will of the Spirit of the Badger that she had come across these two. After all, if a badger liked the kid enough to play with him, they couldn't be a bad person.

Deciding to approach the pair, she made her way into the clearing, and into their lives.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Naruto franchise, nor any of the other series I will be drawing inspiration from in this fanfiction. This is a work of fiction created purely for enjoyment, and no money shall be gained in its production.

**Author Note:** You have no idea how nervous I was writing this chapter.

Setting the groundwork for Naruto and Anko's friendship, while at the same time getting Anko to assume exactly the wrong things in order for her to not immediately run to the Hokage about the kid out in the woods, was a bit of a task. I think I went through three or four false starts before ending up with this version.

I hope it does both of them justice.

* * *

**BADGER**

**Chapter 12**

* * *

Naruto knew something was wrong the moment that Momma Badger stopped playing with him, her massive furry body now standing over him protectively as her eyes pointed down towards the base of the hill. Taking a moment to spit the fur out of his mouth that had stuck to his tongue when he accidentally bit her ear, he rolled over on to his front and looked down the hill with her.

For a brief moment he didn't realize what he was seeing as he watched the first human he had seen in a month and a half walking out into the clearing at the bottom of the hill. He had gotten so used to the presence of Momma Badger, his own reflection the only other face in his life, that it took him a moment to recover.

"Sorry for interrupting your play," the woman said with an awkward grin.

"S'okay," Naruto muttered, his voice barely audible over the sounds of the forest around them.

Bending down, the woman pulled out a small brown bag from a pocket on her long brown coat and poured something on top of a fallen log. Keeping the bag in her hand she took a few steps back to give some room, her feet steady in spite of the mud he knew rested beneath the leaves at her feet.

Momma Badger sniffed the air with an inquisitive nose for a few moments before starting down the hill giving a pleased grunt, heading directly for whatever the woman had poured out on the log. Pausing at the base of the hill, Momma Badger eyed the woman for a few moments as if to make sure that she didn't come over to take back what she had put there. After a brief stare-down, Momma Badger pulled herself up onto the fallen log, her large digging claws pulling off several patches of moss.

Sticking her long nose out she snagged a small bite of the roasted peanuts that the woman had put there, having been given peanuts by other people in the past without any trouble.

Naruto watched all this from the top of the hill, his heart thudding in his chest as he thought of the sad angry man he had run into the night he left the village. Remembering the cold eyes staring at him every day, he wondered if this woman would look at him the same way.

Seeing that Momma Badger trusted the woman enough to go down there, he decided to follow her example. The too-large soles of his sandals slipped several times on the damp leaves littering the hillside, forcing him to half crawl, half slide as he made his way down.

One of the first things he noticed as he got close enough to get a better look at their visitor was her eyes, which had light brown irises and no pupils. What shocked him the most was that the eyes were looking at him not with a cold glare, but with the same kind of warmth he had seen only a few times in his life.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked.

"Usually you give your own name first before asking," she said, her grin removing the bite from her words. "My name's Anko. What's yours kid?"

"My name's not Kid, it's Naruto. And she's Momma Badger," he told Anko, pointing over where Momma Badger sat on the nearby log.

Smiling at the boy's antics, Anko poured some more peanuts on top of the log, then took a few steps back to give Momma Badger some more room. Seeing that the badger was pleased with her offering, and not showing signs that she was going to attack, Anko decided to sit down on the log about six feet away.

"Are you hurt?" Naruto asked her, spotting the cuts on her coat sleeve as she sat down.

"Oh, that?" Anko asked, the sunlight flashing from her forehead protector as she glanced down at her arm. "I got cut a little on my last mission. But don't worry about it, I'm fine now."

"Oh," Naruto nodded, remembering how his own scrapes and cuts tended to heal pretty quick too. "Wait, are you a Ninja, like the Hokage?"

"Not quite like the Hokage," Anko replied with a chuckle. "The Hokage is a lot stronger than me. I'm only a Chuunin, after all."

"What's a Chuunin?" he asked, sitting down on the log next to Momma Badger.

"You sure are full of questions," Anko said. "Ninja are given ranks to divide them up by skill and power, so that the Hokage can easily tell who he should send on certain missions. First you have Gennin, who are usually kids that just graduated from the Academy, and lack the skill and experience to be out on their own. Next you have Chuunin, like me, who have been a Ninja for a while and have passed several tests to show that we have what it takes to go out on missions without having to be watched over by a more experienced Ninja."

Pausing there, Anko offered the open end of the bag of roasted peanuts to Naruto. After a few moments, Naruto nervously scooted a bit closer to her on the log so that he could grab a small handful of peanuts.

Putting a few of them in his mouth and biting down, he made a pleased grunt in the back of his throat, echoing the sound that he had heard Momma Badger make several times before. Hearing her cub's grunt, Momma Badger stood back up from where she had been sitting on the log, and walked towards where Anko sat with the bag of peanuts, the thick fur on her sides brushing against Naruto's back as she passed behind him.

"Oh, hello there, Momma Badger," Anko replied, surprised that the badger was willing to get that close to her. Pouring out another small pile of peanuts on the log between them, she continued with her narration. "Above Chuunin, you have the Jounin, who are seasoned veterans. You have to be really good to earn that rank, as not only are they sent out on some of the most dangerous missions, they are also trusted with watching over and teaching the fresh Gennin."

"What about the Hokage?" Naruto asked, eager to hear about how awesome the Old Man was.

"The Hokage is the strongest Ninja in the whole village," Anko said. "They know all kinds of crazy-powerful Jutsu, and they have to be really smart too, because they have to lead the entire village."

"Wow," Naruto exclaimed, the heels of his sandals hitting against the side of the log in excitement. "Ninja are really cool!"

"It can be fun," Anko nodded, pouring more peanuts on the log for Momma Badger, before holding the bag a little over the badger's gray-furred back so that Naruto could grab another handful. "But it can also be scary too. If it wasn't for the Luck of the Badger, I might not have come back from my last mission."

"What's the Luck of the Badger," Naruto asked, looking down to where Momma Badger was making a pig of herself on the peanuts.

"Well, to explain..." Anko scratched the back of her head, wondering how to start. "Have you heard about how the Kyuubi attacked the village several years back, and the Badger Boss was summoned to help protect everyone?"

"Like in the play!" Naruto shouted, startling Momma Badger, who looked over at her cub to make sure he wasn't hurt. "Where that one guy was all 'whoosh whoosh whoosh' and did that thing with his hands, and boom! There was the really big badger standing there, and the mean old fox couldn't beat her, but then she couldn't beat the fox, and they were all 'grr, grr, bite, chomp' and stuff!"

"Ah, yeah," Anko nodded, scratching the back of her head, unprepared for his rather... youthful description of a battle that had taken the lives of so many Konoha Ninja. "Well, nobody saw what happened to the Badger Boss, Hachimitsu, after the Fourth Hokage took her and the Kyuubi away from the village. The last signer of her contract died summoning her that night, so nobody had been able to summon her since, but many people believe that her spirit stayed behind in order to keep protecting the village. People that believe this, like me, will often give offerings to the Spirit of the Badger."

Ignoring the weight of the conversation that was passing over her back, Momma Badger decided that she had eaten her fill, and waddled over to tuck her body down next to Naruto's sitting form. Absentmindedly reaching down, Naruto started scratching her behind the ears, earning him several clucks like the soft quacking of a duck.

"That's the reason why I hiked all the way out here today, actually," Anko continued, holding up the now nearly empty bag of peanuts as evidence. "I made a deal with the Spirit of the Badger on my last mission that I would give some fresh roasted peanuts to the first badger I spotted if I was able to get home safely. After making a promise like that on my pendant, I was bound to my word, so here I am."

Reaching her other hand to the front of her chest, she showed the bone disk that hung around her neck, the image of a honey badger etched on the smoothed surface and filled in with black ink. Eyes wide in rapt attention, Naruto imagined a large ghost-badger wearing a Kage hat standing behind Anko in a fighting pose, ready to defeat her enemies.

"Wow, where did you get that?" Naruto asked, leaning forward over Momma Badger's back for a better look.

"I made it myself," Anko told him with pride. "It's actually traditional for someone to make their own badger pendant, since there is more meaning in something you make with your own two hands."

Anko let her pendant fall back against her net-covered chest and half-turned towards Naruto, propping one of her legs up on the moss covered log for comfort. She had spotted a pained look in his eyes several times that she recognized, having seen it in her own reflection before, that told her that he wasn't used to people being nice to him.

His attitude had changed greatly once he saw the Hitai-ate on her forehead, which meant that not only did he recognize the badge of the Ninja, but trusted them more than your average citizen. Although he seemed like a cheerful young boy, he was obviously a little starved for attention, since he hadn't gotten bored of listening to her as she described the different Ninja ranks.

On one hand they were pretty far away from the fortified walls of the village, but on the other hand he was relatively clean and obviously well-fed from what she could see beneath the net shirt he was wearing. Curious to learn more about him, but not wanting to upset a boy who obviously had great favor with the Spirit of the Badger, she decided for subtlety.

"It's a really nice day out here," she stated, giving an obvious glance around the forest surrounding them. "You must enjoy being out here, huh?"

"Oh, yeah," Naruto nodded. "It's much better out here than it was back in the village."

"Why do you say that?" Anko asked, trying to act casual to hide how eager she was to find out more.

"Well..." Naruto paused, looking nervous. "I don't know why, but a lot of people back in the village looked at me like I did something wrong. I asked the Old Man once, but he said it wasn't my fault, and that I shouldn't let it bug me."

At this, Naruto dropped his hand from Momma Badger's ears and started picking at some of the moss growing on top of the log, not wanting to look her in the eye in case she decided to start glaring at him like the other people had. It took a few moments for the swelling in Anko's throat do go down as she got the sudden urge to cry, seeing her own pain reflected in a child so young.

"People can be stupid sometimes," Anko finally said, her voice sad. "People in the village sometimes glare at me too for something than an old sensei of mine did, as if it was all my fault."

"It isn't fair," Naruto grumbled.

"No, it isn't," Anko agreed. "But I've learned to ignore those people, and thankfully I have found a few good friends over the last year."

Naruto nodded at that, remembering how much fun he used to have hanging out with Tenten back at the orphanage. Since none of the other kids had wanted to play with him for some reason, he guessed that Momma Badger was the first friend he had found since Tenten got adopted. Gathering his courage, he raised his eyes to look Anko in the face, and was surprised to see her smiling at him.

"W-would you be my friend?" Naruto asked her, his voice shaking a bit.

"I'd be glad to, kid," Anko told him, reaching out to ruffle his pale blond hair, her eyes noting the pale silver roots and adding that fact to the list of mysteries about this Nara kid. Eyeing the length of the shadows on the ground, she suddenly realized how late it was getting. "But it looks like it's about time for me to start heading back."

"You're leaving so soon?" Naruto asked her, a cute pout forming on his face. "Can you stay and talk for a bit longer?"

"Sorry, kiddo," Anko said, shaking her head. "It's going to be getting dark soon, and I've been on my feet for nearly a week now. Even I need my beauty sleep on occasion."

Standing up, she had a thoughtful look on her face for a brief moment as she wondered wither or not she should ask where he lived.

"Would you like me to walk you home?" she offered.

"Nah," Naruto replied, shaking his head. "I think I'm going to hang out here for a bit and enjoy the rest of the sun before going inside."

"Okay," Anko nodded, not wanting to press the issue.

"Will you come visit us again?" Naruto asked, sad to see his new friend leaving.

"Sure thing," Anko told him, reaching out to ruffle his hair again. "I'm going to be pretty busy with missions, but I'll come out here to hang out with you guys next time I have a chance."

"You promise?" Naruto asked, a hopeful look in his bright blue eyes.

Reaching down, Anko made a show of holding up her bone pendant, the movement easily catching the boy's attention. Seeing his eyes widen in recognition as he remembered her tell him she was bound to her word when swearing on her pendant, she gave him a brilliant smile before answering.

"I promise!"

* * *

Hachimitsu was finally able to break free of the Memory Walk, having gained some level of control and practice since the night that Naruto was found by Momma Badger. Wave after wave of memories had crashed against her, telling the story of a very sad and lonely child that tried his hardest to go through each day with a smile, hiding the pain he felt from the cold eyes of the people around him.

In spite of the pain and danger that he had experienced the night he was kicked out of the orphanage, Hachimitsu was glad that he had been found by the one he called 'Momma Badger'. For the first time in his life he had someone he could call family, even if she walked on four paws and did not speak the human tongue.

Equally amazing was the appearance of Anko, who arrived as a stranger and left as a friend. From within the seal it was amazing to feel the effect the young woman's visit had on Naruto.

At first he felt fear and anxiety, expecting the return of the cold glares and low angry voices. Soon these feelings began to fade behind the optimism that he still held within his heart, allowing him to realize that she was looking at him with warm eyes, much like he had seen on the Old Man, and the young girl Tenten that used to live in the orphanage with him. As Anko departed, Hachimitsu was amazed to realize that Naruto was looking forward to her return. The turmoil that had threatened to crush Hachimitsu began to fade away, replaced by his joy at finding a new friend.

What shocked Hachimitsu the most was the words the young woman had spoken of the Spirit of the Badger, which resonated with the Badger Clan's own belief in the First Digger.

First amongst the long line of Badger Sages, the First Digger had traveled far and wide to find a new home for his people after a great disaster had befallen their homelands, eventually coming across the verdant hills and valleys at the foot of Mount Myoboku. After gaining permission from Gamamaru, the Great Toad Sage, he was the first to break the dark soils of their new homeland to create the Great Sett.

It was said that his spirit still watched over the Clan, giving aid and guidance in time of need, much as Anko had spoken of the Luck of the Badger. It would be interesting to compare notes with the young woman at some point, if she was ever able to interact outside the seal.

Gently withdrawing her Yin Chakra tether from Naruto's mind, Hachimitsu opened her eyes once more to the earthen walls and glowing bars within the Eight Trigrams Seal that held her and the Kyuubi. The waters that had covered the floor of the mindscape had lowered, his sorrow having faded after several weeks of wandering the forests with Momma Badger without the constant glares and harsh whispers of the villagers surrounding him.

Becoming aware of her body once more, she was pleased to note that her own wounds seemed to have fully healed during her time in the Memory Walk, though a dull ache still lingered as a reminder of her fight with the Kyuubi. Thankfully the receding waters of the mindscape had revealed a small patch of solid ground beneath her, and she no longer had to deal with wet fur on top of her nagging aches and pains.

She was relieved to discover that she could see once more out of her left eye now that it was no longer swollen shut, though three thick scars running down the side of her face gave proof of how close she had gotten to losing it that night. Her black fur had turned silver in several other places from where the Kyuubi's attacks had also damaged her, leaving a network of thin lines across her body.

Turning from her self-examination, she looked over to where the Kyuubi lay on the far side of the cage, the water surrounding it stained red with the Youki Chakra that still trickled from the open wounds on its visible side. From the look of things, the Fox wasn't doing much better than it had been when Hachimitsu first awoke within the seal.

As the current Badger Boss it was Hachimitsu's duty to train to become the next Badger Sage, so that she could one day take up the mantle that Yuudai currently held, and chose a new Badger Boss to become her own student and heir. Since she had only been the Boss for a few short years there was much that she still needed to learn, and it was unfortunate that her lessons had not yet covered the Bijuu in depth.

Since the last signers of her clan's Summoning Contract lived in Konoha it was only natural that Yuudai had covered a few details on the Kyuubi in particular, as it was last seen at the Valley of the End during the battle between Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju. Considering that the Kyuubi had been controlled by the Uchiha during that battle, Hachimitsu had to wonder if there was foul play involved in the attack that led both of them to be sealed within Naruto.

Thinking about the night of the attack, a mournful cry escaped her muzzle as she remembered seeing Fugu's lifeless body falling to the ground, her friend giving his life to give her the strength to hold off the attack of the Bijuu long enough for the Fourth Hokage to defeat it. Tears fell from her eyes, as she finally mourned her loss, running down her black and silver fur until they fell to mix with the red stained waters surrounding her small island.

Focusing her senses inwards, she examined the Chakra flowing through her body, noting that the seal was still feeding a thin trickle of the Kyuubi's chakra into her own coils, its corrosive properties thankfully filtered by the Eight Trigrams seal. Greater still was the potent Doton Chakra of the Okamoto Clan that was used to summon her that granted her the durability to not only fight the Kyuubi to a standstill, but to also withstand the Youki now flowing through her coils.

Most of the Summon Clans had only one contract, which allowed those who signed it to be able to summon any member of the Clan as long as enough Chakra was given to the Kuchiyose no Jutsu. In order to protect their young, and those who were not skilled in battle, the Badger Clan has a second contract held deep within the Great Sett. When a member of their Clan was deemed worthy, they would sign their own name in blood upon this scroll, allowing them to be summoned.

Reaching her senses further, she examined the connection that had been forged in her Chakra when her own name had been added to her Clan's Summoning Contract. This was the connection that Fugu Okamoto had fed his overcharged Doton Chakra through to summon her that night. Since he had been the last of their summoners, there should not have been anything on the other side, and so Hachimitsu was unprepared for what she found there.

Wither due to the seals that he had used to sacrifice his life to summon her, or the Shinigami dragging her along with the Kyuubi into the Eight Trigrams Seal, an echo of Fugu somehow remained on the other side of that connection. As impossible as it seemed, a part of her friend had somehow carried on past his death, carrying with it the last legacy of the Okamoto Clan.

More confident of her ability with the Mind Walk after her inexperienced dive into Naruto's memories, Hachimitsu sent out a tentative trickle of Yin Chakra until it connected with the echo of her friend. Thankfully the mind of an adult is much better organized than that of a five year old child, though the depth of his years made navigation no less treacherous.

At first the memories drifting past her mind seemed faint, dull and colorless like a picture left out in the sun for too long, making her realize that if she had not noticed his echo there any sooner they might have faded away entirely, and be lost to her forever. Feeding more of her Yin Chakra into this lifeless mindscape she was relieved to see color and vitality return to these precious memories, bringing her closer to her dead friend than she could have ever imagined.

Focusing the Memory Walk on Fugu's last moments in a desperate need to understand why he had given his life to summon her, she quickly realized that the experience she had gained during her time within Naruto's memories had not prepared her for the intense clarity of a dying man's last thoughts. Bracing herself once more, Hachimitsu fought to hold on to her own sense of self as the waves of emotion threatened to crush her within its depths.

* * *

As Fugu prepared himself for death, he could only think of the path his life had taken to bring him here.

What had been intended as a celebration of those who had given their lives in defense of their village over the course of the Second Shinobi War turned into the greatest tragedy their clan had ever experienced. When the poison fog of the Mizu Nin rolled over them, only the strongest members of the Okamoto Clan were spared from the quick painless death that took their children from them.

Fugu was the youngest of his clan to survive, having just earned his Hitai-ate upon graduating from the Ninja Academy. His own manifestation of the Doton Chakra bloodline of his clan was the strongest recorded since his own grandfather, granting him a defense that those younger than him lacked, and allowing his body to fight off the initial effects of the poison.

Over the following weeks it became obvious that the suffering of the Okamoto Clan had only just begun, as medical tests revealed that the lingering effects of the poison had caused irreparable damage to their internal organs. By design, the worst damage was to the reproductive organs of those that survived, leaving them barren.

Knowing that their time was limited, the members of his clan had spent the last few years of their lives recording their knowledge within the archives of the Okamoto Clan Compound in the vain hope that at least a few of their number could survive long enough for a cure for their sterility to be found so that they could revive their clan. Over the next few years their numbers had slowly dwindled as the elders died one by one, their Chakra no longer able to support their failing organs as their bodies fell apart around them.

As the last surviving member of his Clan, Fugu was burdened with the knowledge that if the doctors were unable to find a cure for his sterility before his own body gave in to the effects of the poison his clan would die with him. Hoping to at least find an heir worthy to carry on the knowledge of his clan, even if the legacy of their bloodline was doomed to be lost to history, he spent the last few years of his life studying the legacy left behind by his elders in preparation.

As the poison continued to ravage his body, the doctors had been forced to resort to stronger and stronger medicines, in ever increasing doses, until the cure was doing nearly as much damage as the poison itself. He was already living on borrowed time when the Kyuubi attacked Konoha, his body no longer able to resist the lingering effects of the poison that was slowly killing him.

It was no longer a matter of when he would die, but how.

Deciding that he would rather have history remember the last act of his dying clan be a glorious fall in battle, rather than lying forgotten in a hospital bed, Fugu prepared himself as best he could. With the use of Doton Bushin (Earth Clones) he painted a special Fuuinjutsu Seal upon his body that would allow him to focus every last bit of his Chakra into one final technique.

Knowing that no single Jutsu would be able to defeat a Bijuu, he decided instead to do what he could to at least slow the Kyuubi's advance long enough for the Fourth Hokage to arrive and defeat it. His last dying act was to entrust the fate of his village in the strength and tenacity of Hachimitsu, the Badger Boss.

His Clan's legacy would die with him, but his legend would live on.

* * *

Withdrawing from the Memory Walk, Hachimitsu heard the earthen walls of Naruto's Mindscape echo with the sound of her own crying voice as she mourned the passing of her friend once more. Seeing these memories made Hachimitsu realize just how desperate he had been to pass on the knowledge of his clan, only to have even that faint glimmer of hope to be stolen from him by the cruel hand of fate.

But there was still hope that this knowledge could be passed on, for these memories now lived on in the echo that had been left behind.

Realizing the opportunity that lay before her, Hachimitsu decided make his knowledge her own, so that one day she might find him a worthy heir to carry on his Clan's Legacy. Of course, that would also require that she find some way to leave the confines of the Eight Trigrams Seal. If she were lucky she would find the answer to that problem within these memories, or the lessons she had received from the Badge Sage, Yuudai.

Only time would tell, but locked here within the seal all she really had was time.

With her mind otherwise occupied, she did not notice the angry red Youki Chakra infecting her healing wounds slowly turn silver as it mixed with her own Chakra and spread out through her body.

* * *

Lacking any of the training that the Badger Boss had received on the Memory Walk, and having had its Yin Chakra torn from it before being placed within the Eight Trigrams Seal, the Kyuubi was unprepared for the storm of memories and emotions fed to it along the thin trail of chakra that connected them.

As the days had turned into weeks as Hachimitsu struggled to gain control of the Memory Walk, the Kyuubi's mind struggled to cope with the strange and powerful new emotions that bombarded it. Lacking any reference of its own, its subconscious mind was forced to make connections with similar memories of its own, trying to make sense of what it was feeling.

During this process, the last lingering effects of the madness caused by the Uchiha's Genjutsu finally broke. What effects this would have on the future only time could tell.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Naruto franchise, nor any of the other series I will be drawing inspiration from in this fanfiction. This is a work of fiction created purely for enjoyment, and no money shall be gained in its production.

**Author Note:** First off, sorry for the delay, but I have been busy with getting through two interviews, and filling out the final paperwork, for a new job. To make matters worse, I finally caught the nasty flu that has been passing around, which killed my ability to write. I am just getting over being sick right now, and the hours at my new job will be a lot more regular, so hopefully I will be able to get more writing done again.

There might be the occasional delay, but I do not plan on stopping any time soon.

I know it seems like slow going in this story, as we have spent several chapters covering the period of only a few days, but there will be several time skips over the next few chapters. One of the main reasons that recent chapters have not focused as much on Naruto is that, in all honesty, not much is going on in his life right now.

That will be changing soon enough.

Question: Should I have a few words description of what the chapter contains on the drop-down on ? It would make it easier to navigate, but I also fear that it might give something away before you read the chapter.

Please review with your opinion. This note will be removed when a consensus has been met.

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

**BADGER**

**Chapter 13**

* * *

Naruto woke up early the next morning, the excitement from meeting a new friend making it hard for him to sleep in spite of the warm embrace of earth and roots that surrounded him in the familiar comfort of the sett. Forced to wait as Momma Badger finished grooming his hair until she was satisfied that what little fur he had was presentable, he made his way through the tunnels of their home until he reached the lower chamber that held their pilfered supplies.

There had been precious few jars of actual fruit in the cabin they had found, with most of the jars holding either vegetables or eggs, which made what little fruit they did have all the more precious to the young boy. Back in the orphanage it had been a rare treat for him whenever he was given fruit, as the more sympathetic adults at the orphanage usually only got a chance to sneak some to him during celebrations. Any other time he ate fruit it was because his old friend Tenten had snuck him some of hers.

Deciding that finding a new friend was a perfect excuse to treat himself, he gently picked up a large jar filled with pear halves, his bright blue eyes examining the pale fruit beneath the pale light of the glowing tree roots that dangled overhead. Nodding to himself with a pleased smile, he pulled the jar against his chest with his left arm to keep is safe as he used his right arm for balance while he made his way out of the chamber and through the winding tunnel that lead to the outside world.

Blinking his eyes against the sudden light of the morning sun, he did his best to shrug off the chill in the morning air as he looked down at the moss covered log that his friend had sat on the day before. The sun was still low in the sky, casting a long cold shadow across the bottom of the hill that Naruto knew from experience would not be fun to lounge around in.

Momma Badger waddled out of the entrance behind him, the familiar weight of her warm furry body pressing against his right leg as she joined him in looking over their domain. Blinking her own eyes against the morning light, she took a moment to make sure that she didn't see any other animals wandering around that might be a danger to her cub, taking a moment to glare at a particularly suspicious clump of leaves before dismissing it as a threat.

Pleased that there were no immediate threats, and looking forward to eating whatever it was in the shiny shell her cub was holding, she gave off a soft coo telling him to follow as she turned around and started up the hill. Looking up the hill himself, he was pleased to see the sun's rays shining warmly on the ground surrounding the large tree that grew above their home.

Ignoring the cold touch of the glass as it pressed against his skin through the open netting of his shirt, he started climbing up the hill with his burden, leaves and mud slipping beneath his overlarge sandals as he made his precarious way up the hill. With the weight of the jar clutched in his left arm throwing off his balance he nearly fell over several times as he followed Momma Badger's furry back, catching himself with his right hand when he nearly landed on his face.

Remembering how they used to clean up back at the orphanage, he had spent some time the evening before removing the leaves that littered the ground around the tree trunk, depositing them down at the bottom of the hill one handful at a time. This work finally paid off once he reached the top of the hill, the ground having had some chance to dry and firm up in the sunlight without the damp leaves covering everything up.

Reaching the top of the hill he wiped some mud off the now dirty palm of his right hand on some dew covered grass before drying it off on the leg of his pants. Turning around so that his back was against the sun-warmed trunk of the tree he sat down on the ground next to Momma Badger, who had placed herself so that the warm bulk of her body was between him and the gentle breeze that blew through the forests outside the village that morning.

Confident that he was now safe from falling over and spilling anything he placed the jar on the ground between his legs and grasped the lid in his freshly cleaned hand to that he could twist it open. Ignoring how the black lines drawn on the lid faded once he removed it from the jar he set it aside on the ground, his attention focused on what was inside.

Remembering the unpleasant taste of salt that still lingered in his mouth, Naruto stuck a cautious finger in the clear liquid the pear halves were floating in. Pulling his hand back he gave it a sniff to see if it smelled salty like the water with the carrots had been. Deeming it safe enough he gave his finger an experimental lick, a smile breaking out on his whiskered face when the taste of sugar hit his tongue.

Using both hands so that the jar didn't spill everywhere he lifted it up to his mouth, the rough surface of one of the pear halves rubbing against the tip of his nose as he took his first sip. Taking a deeper drink from the jar he ignored the syrup that spilled down his cheeks and onto his net covered chest as he tipped the jar too far.

Reaching out her long snout Momma Badger carefully caught the edge of Naruto's jacket sleeve with her sharp front teeth and gave it a gentle tug to remind him that he wasn't the only one wanting something to eat that morning. When Naruto lowered the jar back to the ground she released her hold on his sleeve and poked her nose up to sniff his wet cheeks.

Sticking her raspy tongue out she took a quick lick of his cheek, letting out a pleased bark when she tasted fruit. Knowing better than to resist, Naruto waited until Momma Badger was done cleaning his face before grabbing one of the pear halves out of the jar, offering the pale fruit to his companion.

Momma Badger was quick to accept, snatching the fruit from his hand with her sharp front teeth and bringing it down to the ground so that she could clutch it between her clawed front paws. Turning her head to the side she bit down with the molars that rested further back in her mouth, the wider grinding teeth better suited for the pear's coarse texture.

Reaching back into the jar Naruto removed one of the pear halves for himself, his teeth making quick work of the fruit as he finally began to fill his empty stomach, the syrup having only teased his hunger. After being held in the relative warmth of their insulated sett, and then held against the seal-warmed net shirt that covered his chest, the pears were warmer than the chill winter air that surrounded them.

Watching as Momma Badger poked her long snout into the open jar to grab herself another piece of fruit, Naruto waited until she pulled her furry head back before following her example, though he had to use his hand as he had learned that his own face would most definitely not fit into the jars like hers did. Leaning back until his back rested against the trunk of the tree, its rough bark poking at him through the fabric of his thin jacket, Naruto thought of the new friend that they had met the day before.

Turning his bright blue eyes to the clouds that dotted the skies above them, Naruto wondered what it was like to be a Ninja like Anko. Since he had never seen Ninja in action before, his only working knowledge coming from the puppet show that the Old Man had taken Tenten and him to the year before, it was no surprise that what his imagination came up with was far from accurate.

His mind drew a picture of Anko riding on top of a giant bear-sized war-badger, which happened to look a lot like Momma Badger wearing cool-looking metal armor. Anko also wore armor, though hers was a tan version of the armor he had seen the First Hokage wearing in one of the books back at the orphanage.

Waving a long Nodachi sword over her head she led a massive charge against an endless wave of enemy Ninja, the sound of Koto drums sounding like thunder as she charged forward without fear. As the faceless black-clad enemy drew near she cut them down with her sword, having but to flick her wrist to cut them into pieces.

Anko's war-badger was also getting in on the action, swinging its massive metal-covered front claws in wide arks, showing no mercy to anyone who would dare harm his friend. One after another the enemy fell to sword and claw and tooth, the sound of Koto drums soon being joined by a full band of instruments in what Naruto imagined to be an awesome fighting song.

Naruto was shocked from his daydreaming when he felt a tug on the sleeve of his jacket. Blinking his eyes open he looked over to see Momma Badger's dark brown eyes looking back, her tongue darting out to catch a drop of pear juice from her fuzzy chin. Glistening drops of water from the edge of the jar ringed her head from where she had been shoving her snout in to grab more of the tasty fruit, since Naruto hadn't been grabbing it for her.

Realizing that he had only eaten two slices he looked down at the jar resting on the ground between his legs, and was relieved to see that she had only eaten about half of the fruit before her long snout couldn't reach any more. Momma Badger gave him an innocent look as he clutched the jar to his chest, then turned herself around and began to groom her fur, leaving the rest of the food to her cub.

Smirking in triumph, Naruto grabbed one of the pear halves and shoved as much of it as he could into his mouth before biting down. As he struggled to chew his food, he looked down as the moss covered log that sat in the small valley at the base of the hill, remembering how his new friend Anko had shown up the day before.

She was probably really busy being an awesome Ninja, but he hoped she would come to visit them again soon.

* * *

Anko woke up with a snort, and became intimately aware that she had been sweating in her sleep, her pillow damp and cold beneath her cheek. It took her a few moments to realize that her leg was thrown over another body on her bed, causing her to open her eyes in shock. Unfortunately the first thing she saw was the light of the morning sun shining in through the single window in the room.

Several seconds of loud cursing echoed from the bare walls of the room as she fought off the sudden stabbing pain in her eyes.

After a few moments of furious blinking she was finally able to see again, and looked at the body on the bed beside her. Relief flooded her as she gazed upon the familiar furry shape of her giant Hachimitsu plushy, its fluffy fur matted against its neck from where Anko had nested her face in her sleep.

Looking down at her own body the Kunoichi realized that she had gone to sleep with her clothes on, though there were a few new stains on the tan pants that covered her legs. Her coat was slung over the back of her only chair, the cuff of the torn right sleeve dangling from one side. Noticing that she had at least taken off her shoes, she spotted one of them sitting next to the front door, while the other was sitting on top of the coat rack that her coat should have been hanging from.

Sitting up in bed she had to cradle her head in her hands to keep the room from spinning as she fought off a wave of nausea. Her tongue felt like a piece of wood in her dry mouth, and the aftertaste of a night of drinking did not help her in her efforts to calm her upset stomach.

"What in the hell did I get up to last night?" she asked herself, quickly realizing she had a hangover.

She remembered hanging out with the blond haired Nara boy and his badger friend out in the forest, and promising to return and visit him again before she left to head back to the village. After a long walk back down from the hills she had checked back in at the gate with her mind set on getting something to eat for dinner when she had run into Hayate.

True to his word, he had spent the previous night drinking in order to forget the-brat-who-shall-not-be-named, and so he was in a much better mood to talk about their plans to get her trained in Kenjutsu as soon as she was medically cleared for duty again. It was rather unfortunate that Counselor Homura had walked by them with her daughter, causing Hayate to remember everything he had spent the last night drinking to forget.

That was why she now had a hangover, as he had guilted her into paying for his drinks that night on account of her being to blame for him being there in the first place. Having more money than her fellow Chuunin, and not wanting to ruin her chances at getting some good training in for free, she agreed to go with him. At some point he had noticed that she wasn't drinking as much as he was, and had challenged her to a drinking contest.

The rest of the night was a blur.

Anko made several hand seals ending with Dragon and focused her chakra into her liver, using the Kanzo no Kasseijutsu (Liver Activation Jutsu) that Orochimaru had taught her, which helped the body fight off the effects of poisons and toxins in the bloodstream. Since alcohol was recognized by the body as a poison, it supercharged the production of the enzymes in the liver used to metabolize it.

Her body began to heat up, starting with her liver and quickly spreading out from there, as her metabolism kicked into high gear. Sweat began to bead up on her skin, staining the tan pants she was still wearing from the day before, as her body tried to rid itself of the alcohol still lingering in her system. She could taste the alcohol on her tongue and feel it burning the inside of her nose every time she breathed out as it evaporated from the inside of her lungs.

With a final gasp she broke her hand seal, allowing her Chakra to dissipate and her body to calm back down. One of the major disadvantages of that Jutsu was how much energy it took from its user, leaving her exhausted and even more dehydrated than she had been when she first woke up. The other problem was how much concentration it took to use the technique, which made it next to impossible to use while under attack.

Running a hand through her sweaty hair, Anko got up and made her way through the open door of her bathroom, stopping in front of her sink. Grabbing her water glass from the counter she filled it with cold water from the tap and took a few cautious sips to make sure that her stomach wouldn't rebel.

Spotting the small jar of antibiotic pills she pulled one out and popped it into her mouth, swallowing it with her next sip of water. It was too bad that she couldn't deal with the infection in her arm the same way she could the alcohol in her bloodstream.

Putting her glass down she turned the cold water on her sink back on, and splashed her face a few times to help wake herself up a bit more.

Leaning forward with her hands on the counter she stared into the mirror, locking eyes with the young woman reflected back at her. She wondered what other people saw when they looked at her. Did they see nothing more than a reflection of the traitorous Sannin who had left her for dead in his lab back in Sea Country, a living reminder of the monster who had hidden so long in their midst? Or did they see a young woman who had lost her childhood memories, and nearly her mind, at the hands of the same one who had betrayed them?

Her bone badger pendant swung forward from her net-covered chest, causing her drifting mind to focus on the strange new friends she had found out in the forest the day before. There, at least, she had met someone who did not judge her for the actions of others, even if it was a little kid and a badger.

As she brushed her teeth she reminded herself of her promise to go out and visit Naruto and Momma Badger, making a note that she would have to follow up on that some time in the next few days. Once she was cleared for active duty she would have little chance to walk out into the hills, with most of her time being taken up by her missions for the village, not to mention the time she would need to spend learning Kenjutsu. She could already tell that Naruto could use a friend, and Hayate notwithstanding she didn't really have any friends of her own either.

Turning around she started the hot water in the shower, closing the curtain to keep the spraying water from getting on the tile floor of her bathroom, and leaving it to run so that the pipes could get warmed up while she got undressed. She had scrubbed herself raw with the de-scenting soap the day before, but a long night of drinking followed by the after-effects of the Kanzo no Kasseijutsu hadn't done her any favors.

This time she would spare herself some discomfort and use regular soap to wash up with though.

* * *

Dan Higurashi had just finished with his morning chores with the assistance of his recently adopted daughter Tenten by the time that Anko had woken up on the other side of the village. Even with the long hours that he kept at his weapons shop he hadn't had a chance to take another look at the sword she had dropped off two days ago due to previous orders, and he was looking forward to getting to work on the unique blade.

Ducking into the small storage room behind the counter of his shop he pulled out a long bundle of silk and carried it out to a workbench that sat next to the counter so that he could get over to the register if a customer arrived. Sitting down on the heavy stool, he laid the bundle on the sanded wooden surface and untied the cords holding the ends closed and pulled the cloth open, allowing the bright overhead lights to gleam off the saw blade teeth of Anko's new sword.

Now that he had a bit more time to look at it, it quickly became obvious that the fittings on the blade were not the originals, as the hand guard was of obviously inferior quality. Both the hand guard and pommel were covered in gold leaf, which at a glance would make it seem as if its wielder was wealthy, but there were obvious patches where the thin coating had been worn away to reveal the plain steel beneath.

Lacking the scabbard for comparison, he could only assume that the Chakra metal plates and rivets that allowed the nature conversion seals to work were the only thing that originally came with the blade itself. Since this was a sword that was made to be used, and not some showroom decoration, more effort should have gone into utility rather than appearances.

Putting those thoughts aside, he picked up an awl and used the tip to gently press down on the Chakra metal rivets that held the seal plate in place, being careful not to damage either. Once the rivets had been pushed below the level of the plate he set the awl aside and rotated the sword until that plate was laying face down, allowing the seal plate to drop into his other hand.

Flipping the sword back over, he looked at how the wood had been carved out on the handle, allowing the surface of the seal plate to lay flush with the rest of the handle. Although the rest of the fittings were gaudy, he recognized the skill that had gone into carving the wood of the handle itself.

Using his awl he pushed the Chakra metal rivets the rest of the way out, and placed both seal plates next to each other on top of the silk cloth laid out on his workbench. With a deft hand he finally removed the bamboo peg that held the now bare wooden handle in place, revealing the tang of the sword to him for the first time.

Reading the signature carved into the roughly filed metal of the tang, Dan Higurashi gently lowered the blade back onto the silk cloth and sat back heavily in his stool, feeling a headache coming on.

Kenta Uzumaki had been a well known master smith who had lived in the Land of Whirlpools until the day he had died during the fall of Uzushirogakure. Judging by the date written on the other side of the tang, it seemed that Kenta had finished working on the blade itself less than a month before he had died, over 25 years ago.

Wanting to make sure that the signature wasn't a forgery he turned his overhead light off, switching to a small wall-mounted light so that he could get a better look at the Hamon (hardening pattern) on the brightly polished surface of the blade. Judging by the different hues and reflections revealed there he would be able to get a much clearer picture of exactly how it was constructed.

He had been able to tell at a glance that the sword was at least double-layered, with a hard steel outer shell and the softer Chakra steel core, which in and of itself had increased the value of the blade due to the cost of the metal alone, let alone its craftsmanship. This method took skill, but it was well within the ability of almost any smith in a Hidden Village worth their business license, as it only required that the hard steel be bent into a u shape so that the softer metal could be placed within, and then it was hammered closed and beaten into the shape of the sword.

Upon closer inspection he soon realized that there was much more effort and skill put into its internal construction than he had expected, as his keen eye revealed not two, nor even three or four, but possibly up to seven different pieces of metal laminated together. While it did have the Chakra metal core and hard steel edge expected of it, looking at the temper line and the metal revealed by the cut out teeth of the saw blade edge revealed that an extra later of metal had been placed between the hard steel lining the outside and the Chakra metal core.

This style, known as Soshu Kitae, allowed the more durable hard steel to coat the sides, back, and cutting edge of the sword, while the medium steel added its support to the soft Chakra metal core. Since the width of the blade was weakened by having the saw teeth cut out, the medium steel helped brace and strengthen the spine of the sword, allowing it to withstand the stress of battle.

There was no doubt, this sword had been made by the legendary Kenta Uzumaki.

He had to wonder what the fates had in store for the young woman who had brought this blade into his weapons shop, that life would hand a sword such as this to her. He could only trust that the young swordsman she had befriended did a good job training her. No doubt there would be many challengers coming her way once word got out of what she held.

All the more reason to make sure that he did a good job getting it ready for her, as the sword would only be able to live up to its reputation if he was able to get the elemental conversion seals working properly for her.

With that thought in mind he rifled through the supplies that sat beneath where the register say on the counter until he found a few pieces of thin rice paper and a stick of charcoal he used to mark crates. Laying the rice paper on top of one of the plates, he gently rubbed it with the side of the charcoal, making sure to get a clear image of the entire seal, and used the bottom half of the paper for the second plate.

Carefully packing the pieces of the sword back up in the silk bundle, he tied it closed and carried it back into the storage room of his shop. Careful of any prying eyes, he removed the calendar from his wall to reveal a storage seal carved into the wood there. Securing the bundled sword in the seal he put the calendar back in its place and walked back out of the storage room and over to his workbench.

He would need some expert advice on how to attune the seal to young Anko, and he knew just the man to write.

* * *

Anko sat at a plain wooden table inside the local Dango shop, the warmth of the grills warring with the chill morning air as a gentle breeze blew in through the open front of the shop. Her pupil less tan eyes lazily watched as people walked past the shop, busy with their own lives.

She felt much better now that she had rinsed the sweat off and changed into some clean clothes, opting to wear her only other pair of pants until she had the time to do laundry again. Her net body stocking was easy enough to clean in the sink with some mild soap and warm water, the seals hidden in the cuffs and collar helping to get rid of the dirt and sweat from the previous day's activities.

Still, if she was going to be wearing pants more often, there was hardly any reason to wear the full body stocking, as it was rather inconvenient to have to strip herself almost entirely naked every time she needed to go to the bathroom. She had to go clothing shopping to get herself a few more pairs of pants anyway, and that would be a good time to find a more simple net shirt, or fork over the ryo for one of the more expensive body stockings that was designed with an open crotch so that she could wear her underwear over the body stocking.

Thoughts of clothing were quickly set aside when the waitress walked over with a serving tray carrying her order. The young civilian woman placed a small ceramic teapot on the table with a soft thump, where it was quickly joined by a teacup and a rectangular plate carrying two Dango skewers.

"Do you need anything else?" the waitress asked her.

"Not right now, thank you," Anko replied with a smile, her hands already reaching for the teapot.

"Enjoy your meal."

Without conscious thought, Anko's eyes followed the swaying motion of the waitress' hips as the woman walked back to the counter. Feeling a gaze upon them, the waitress looked over her shoulder at the single occupant of the shop, just missing the pupil less tan eyes turning back to the teapot.

Anko grabbed her teacup, the pre-heated ceramic already warming her hand as she poured the jade green Gyokuro tea. While it was more expensive than plain green tea, she had grown to appreciate the sweeter taste of this blend, not to mention the extra caffeine. Placing the teapot back on the table, she took a sip from her cup, and reached for one of the Dango skewers.

One of the side-effects of the Kanzo no Kasseijutsu she used to burn the alcohol in her system was a temporary increase in the metabolism as her body burned through its reserves. While this did make her ravenously hungry for a short time afterwards, it also burned off any excess fat first. This meant that Anko could do little things, like eating Dango, without having to worry about her figure. Anko smirked to herself, wondering how many Kunoichi would kill to know that little secret

Savoring this moment, Anko watched as the syrup, made from sweetened soy sauce, oozed down the sides of the round dumplings. Just as she was about to take her first bite, a woman dressed in civilian clothing stepped into the open front of the shop, the empty net bag in their hand a clear indication that they were stopping by on their way to the market for fresh produce.

Pausing at the threshold to allow their eyes to adjust to the darker interior of the shop, their gaze turned towards Anko's sitting form. As soon as they noticed who she was, they looked at her with a scowl, telling Anko that they were one of the many foolish villagers that blamed her for Orochimaru's treachery.

Locking eyes with the other woman, Anko slowly brought the Dango skewer up to her mouth, hiding her smirk as she imagined the woman's warring desire to leave her presence, and her own hunger for sweet dumplings for breakfast. In one smooth, well practiced motion, Anko removed one of the syrup-covered Dango from the bamboo skewer with her teeth, and pulled it into her mouth with a roll of her tongue, keeping her eyes locked on the civilian woman the entire time.

Huffing in irritation, and trying to ignore their own blushing face, the woman turned around and stomped out of the Dango shop. Rolling her eyes, Anko drank the rest of the tea in her cup, and reached over to pour herself some more.

Most of the civilians in the village could barely stand Anko's presence due to her association with Orochimaru, in spite of the fact that Anko hadn't summoned a single snake since she was released from ANBU T&amp;I headquarters after being found in Orochimaru's abandoned lab in the Land of Sea. She just counted herself lucky that there were people who treated her like an actual person in the village, or she feared that she might have ended up just as bad as the foolish villagers imagined her to be.

Fortunately for Anko, one of those people was the elderly man who owned the Dango shop, whose keen eyes missed nothing of what happened around him. He had actually fired one waitress who had refused to serve Anko, stating that anyone who would wear the symbol of the Badger would not be turned away, his own ceramic pendant hanging from his neck on a silk cord.

Finishing off her first skewer of Dango, Anko placed the bamboo stick down on the puddle of syrup left behind on the rectangular plate. Stopping her hand before it could grab the other skewer, she decided to wait for a few minutes so that she could enjoy the anticipation.

Turning her gaze back to the people walking past the open front of the shop, she soon spotted the familiar face of her fellow Chuunin, Hayate Gekko. His eyes were squinted against the bright light of the morning sun, the bags beneath his eyes telling her that he had not recovered from all of the alcohol he had drunk the night before.

"Oi, Gekko!" Anko shouted, trying to get his attention.

Flinching, the swordsman held a hand up to his head in a vain attempt to ward off his headache, her shouted greeting not doing his hangover any favors. Giving a half-hearted scowl in her direction, he had to wait for a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the darker interior of the Dango shop.

Recognizing Anko sitting there, more by the outline of her hair and the familiar tan trench coat than anything else, he slumped his shoulders and walked into the shop. Sitting down on the bench closer to the door so that his back was to the bright morning light, he propped his elbows on the wooden table and placed his face in the palms of his hands, taking carefully controlled breaths in an effort to will his headache away.

"Can I get anything for you?" the waitress asked, having walked over when he entered.

Looking up at her with bleary eyes, Hayate looked over to see Anko pulling one of the Dango from her skewer and popping it into her mouth with a suspiciously innocent look in her eyes. His face turned a pasty white as his stomach rebelled at the thought of eating.

"Ah, n-no, thank you," Hayate replied politely.

"You can have some of my tea," Anko said, taking pity on him. "Could you bring a second cup for us, please?"

Nodding, the waitress left the table to grab one of the pre-warmed cups from the rack above the steamer, Anko's eyes once more drawn to the swaying skirt. Tearing her gaze away before she was noticed, Anko ignored Hayate's raised eyebrow as the waitress looked over her shoulder again.

"I hate you so much right now," Hayate grumbled.

"Oh?" Anko asked. "Why is that?"

"I know you drank more than I did last night," he pointed out. "Yet I'm the one with the hangover, while you're here eating sweets without a care in the world."

"A girl has to have some mystery about her, you know," Anko replied with a smirk.

Hayate's grumbled response was thankfully cut off as the waitress returned, placing an empty cup on the table between them. Grabbing the pot, Hayate poured himself a cup of the jade green Gyokuro tea, and took a careful sip, hoping it would help settle his stomach.

"Can I get anything else for either of you?" the waitress asked.

"I would like another order of Mitarashi Dango, please," Anko replied.

Holding the bamboo tip of the half-empty skewer between her teeth for safekeeping, Anko pulled her wallet out of her inner coat pocket, the movement just happening to reveal the swell of her breast through her net shirt to the waitress before the front of her coat settled back down granting her some decency. Counting out a small stack of Ryo notes, Anko paid the waitress for her second order of Dango, allowing herself a small smirk as the waitress bustled away.

"You're incorrigible," Hayate grumbled.

"You're just jealous," Anko replied.

"Seriously, not my type," came his familiar response.

Anko was just about to tease him again when a dark cloaked figure landed on the ground in front of the Dango shop, the dark hood of their cloak framing the familiar white porcelain of an ANBU mask. Both of the Chuunin sat up in attention with the sudden arrival of the Konoha special forces agent, the insect themed design of their mask betraying them as a member of the Aburame clan.

"Hayate Gekko, Anko Mitarashi," the ANBU stated, causing both Chuunin to tense. "The Hokage requests your presence at your earliest convenience in his office, as he wishes to debrief both of you about your most recent mission."

Glancing back at Anko over his shoulder, it was obvious he was wondering if she knew what this was about. Not knowing anything more than he did, Anko shrugged and finished off the last of the Dango on her second stick, dropping it on the plate next to the first as she stood up.

"It looks like I need that order to go, please," Anko said as the waitress walked back with a second plate.

Grabbing a skewer with each hand, Anko thanked the waitress with a nod, and said farewell to the old man working the grill on the other side of the shop. Jogging out into the morning sunlight the Kunoichi caught up with Hayate and the ANBU agent as they made their way towards the Hokage Tower.

* * *

Anko had just finished off the last of the Dango by the time they reached the Tower, the light coating of dark brown sauce glistening on the bamboo skewer a taunting reminder of the chewy dumplings. Sticking out her tongue and running it along the length of the skewer, Anko savored the salty-sweet taste of the sauce as she licked it clean in a way that made Hayate very uncomfortable.

Finishing just as they walked into the Hokage's office, she sheepishly lowered the skewer from her mouth when she spotted Sarutobi sitting behind his desk looking at them, his eyes shadowed beneath the rim of his hat. Seeing that the only trash can in the room was next to the Hokage's desk, she put the bamboo skewer into her coat pocket, suddenly nervous about why they had been called there.

"Thank you for bringing them here, Mukade," Sarutobi thanked the ANBU. "That will be all for now."

Bowing to the Hokage, the insect-masked ANBU walked over to stand guard next to the large window that looked over the village. Opening one of the drawers of his desk, Sarutobi pulled two folders out and dropped them on the table, the loud slap of paper on wood causing the Chuunin to flinch.

"Do you know what these are?" Sarutobi asked.

"Those look like our personnel files, Lord Hokage," Anko replied, having seen hers often enough during her time as a Ninja to recognize it sitting there in front of him.

"You are correct," Sarutobi agreed. "I had them brought to me shortly after I received the news that both of you had returned to the village from your most recent mission."

While it wasn't entirely uncommon for the Hokage to review the information held on those Ninja who were sworn to his service, a cold knot of tension filled Anko when he flipped open the top folder to reveal a picture of her own grinning face attached to the first page. Several long moments passed as he studied its contents, the sound of turning paper occasionally breaking the oppressive silence.

"New intelligence was received while you were on assignment that cause your mission to be automatically upgraded to B-Rank," Sarutobi said, lifting his gaze to look at them both. "Had there been enough time, you would have received orders to return to Konoha, and the mission would have been reassigned to a team led by at least one Jounin. For a two man team of freshly minted Chuunin to not only complete this mission, but also survive an encounter with Nuke-nin without having any time to recover, is impressive."

Sarutobi closed the folder with a slap of paper on paper, causing both Chuunin to flinch again at the sudden sound. Sarutobi's face seemed to age before them as his expression became dead serious, his gaze pinning them in place, and Anko's breakfast seemed suddenly heavy in her stomach.

"However," he continued, "I am concerned that both of you agreed to continue the mission, even after seeing the number of bandits in the camp. Would you care to explain your reasoning?"

Sparing Hayate a glance, Anko took a deep breath to steel herself and took a half-step towards the Hokage to address him.

"If I may, Lord Hokage," she began. "Taking into account the number and placement of enemy targets in the camp, and the resources available to us, we came up with an attack plan that had a high chance of success based upon our individual strengths. By combining Hayate's close quarter combat skills with my own long range support, we were able to take out a large number of bandits before they even knew they were under attack. By taking advantage of the long shadows and half light right after sunset we were able to remain out of view until near the very end, when the remaining bandits grouped together in the camp and stood with the fire to their backs.

"Had we been aware that there were reports of nuke-nin in the area, it is likely that we would have sent message back to the village requesting further orders before engaging. As the senior member of this team, I will accept full responsibility for any punishment you deem fit for risking the life of my comrade."

Hayate had been content to stand back as Anko explained their reasoning, agreeing with everything she was saying, until she told the Hokage that she was accepting responsibility for their actions. He was about to voice his protest when Sarutobi raised an aged hand, cutting the swordsman off.

"I do not believe that any punishment will be necessary at this time," Sarutobi finally stated, causing both of the Chuunin to relax. "However, I would be greatly disappointed if the potential I see in the two of you were to be wasted. Therefore, I will have your training increased to prepare you both for the more difficult missions we now know you are both capable of handling."

Relief filled them both when they heard that they weren't going to be punished, but it was tempered by the idea that their assignments were going to be even more difficult in the future.

"Mitarashi," Sarutobi stated, "You are exempt from any strenuous activity such as missions or training until you are cleared for active duty by the Hospital, on account if the wounds you received on this mission, is that understood?"

"Perfectly, Lord Hokage," she agreed with a slight bow.

"As for you, Gekko," Sarutobi continued, turning his gaze to the young swordsman. "I am tasking you with training Mitarashi how to use that new sword of hers. Consider this an ongoing C-Ranked mission, as I expect to receive regular reports on her progress. I expect to hear good things about the two of you in the future, is that understood?"

"Yes, Lord Hokage," Hayate bowed.

"Good, then you are both dismissed," Sarutobi told them.

* * *

Watching the two leave, Sarutobi couldn't help but be impressed with how much Anko had grown not only as a Ninja, but as a person, over the last year. The fact that she had replaced her old snake-fang pendant that Orochimaru had given her with a bone pendant with the image of a honey badger on it was only an external indication for what was going on inside of her.

When she had been found in a hastily abandoned lab in the Land of Sea suffering from the after-effects of an experimental sealing technique, there had been a real valid concern that she was still a loyal disciple of the Snake Sannin. In order to ensure the safety of the village, Inoichi Yamanaka had used his clan techniques to explore her mind to discover her true intentions.

When he examined her he discovered that her original personality had nearly been destroyed, and the connections that linked her conscious mind to her memories had been horribly damaged. They may never know if this was due to the seal on her neck, or a deliberate mental attack by Orochimaru, as she was the only one alive out of the ten people that had been left behind in the lab.

Lacking any evidence that would indicate that she held any loyalty to the traitorous Sannin, she was accepted back into Konoha's ranks, and started on the long hard road to recovery. Throughout her transition into life back in the village, Inoichi had worked extensively to help her adjust to life after her ordeal, and his counseling had been vital to her recovery.

Anko had been forced to re-build her personality nearly from scratch, and according to Inoichi's reports many of the new dominant personality traits she now showed came from fragmented memories of her own dead brother. He suspected this was a subconscious defense mechanism, allowing her to distance herself from the young girl that had been so devoted to the one who had betrayed her.

When Sarutobi had asked Mukade to bring her and Hayate into his office for a debriefing, he had been worried that her actions on their last mission had been due to recklessness, or even worse an attempt at self-harm. He had experience seeing both in the eyes of his fellow Ninja over the years, and all it took was losing one friend to survivor's guilt to make him vigilant in his watch.

Watching her standing there in his office, her coat still showing the cuts in her sleeve from an attack she had dodged at the last minute, and pride in her eyes as she described how they had planned out their attack on the bandit camp, he realized that it had not been self-destruction, but pride and loyalty, that had caused them to continue with their mission. When she stepped forward to claim any punishment for their actions for herself alone, Hayate immediately moved to argue with her, not wanting her to shoulder the blame on her own.

It was heartwarming to see her finally finding a friend that close, that they would lay themselves on the line to defend them like the young swordsman had.

When Shikaku Nara and Inoichi Yamanaka had suggested pairing Anko and Hayate together he had been skeptical, especially due to the fact that the two of them had faced off in the Forest of Death during their Chuunin Exams. Shikaku's reasoning was that their skills would complement each other in the field, while Inoichi pointed out that they had learned to respect each other's abilities during the Exam.

It was lucky that this respect had grown into the friendship he had seen in his office earlier, and Sarutobi could only hope that she would find even more friends in the village in the months and years that followed.


End file.
